


Reindeer Games

by rudennotgingr



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-01
Updated: 2015-08-23
Packaged: 2018-02-27 17:44:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 62,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2701721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rudennotgingr/pseuds/rudennotgingr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rose and the Doctor find their new relationship tested in order to save a friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. All That Is, All That Was, All That Ever Could Be

**Author's Note:**

> This is the sequel to Counting Down, and while it's not completely necessary to have read that first, it will provide a better understanding of the first few chapters especially. Beta'd by the super fabulous almondina, who is ultimately responsible for there being a sequel in the first place. Sometimes I feel like she's more on co-author status with this story because her ideas are so amazing. Thank you dear.

He had meant to explain the gift. Had meant to show it to her. Really he had. Somewhere between the emotions whirling through him from finally saying "I love you" out loud and the rest of the Christmas festivities with her mum...the cursed paper from a time line that was no more faded into the background.

He had picked it up at some point, absently shoving it in one of his bigger on the inside pockets. By the time they left Jackie's, three days later (a record for him, thank you very much), the paper had been completely forgotten.

It was the Doctor and Rose Tyler on board the TARDIS, traveling the stars once more, just as it should be.

He was content. Well, beyond that really. Ecstatic. Overjoyed. Giddy. He could now show Rose exactly what she meant to him. And he did so often.

Months later, his fingers brushed against an unfamiliar box in his pocket. He frowned, wondering what it could be. Well, he _did_ have time on his hands, what with Rose sleeping and all. Curling his tongue up to touch his upper lip, he shoved his hand into his pocket and pulled the item out for a closer look.

His skin prickled and a tremor shot up his arm. His stomach turned in knots,he glanced down, and promptly chucked the white cardboard box across the console room, towards the doors, mentally urging the TARDIS to open them. The bloody thing could float in the deep recesses of space for all he cared.

But, the doors remained closed. The box smacked against the wood and fell to the floor with an unsatisfying thunk. Annoyed, he prodded the time ship, but she merely urged him to retrieve the object.

He stared at the box for fifteen minutes and 22.45 seconds, arms crossed tightly across his chest, before growling in frustration and walking over to where it lay. As with the first time, his time sense fought against the object. It _shouldn't_ be here.

Then again, according to what was inside, neither should Rose.

The Doctor closed his eyes, fighting off a wave of nausea as he gripped the box tightly. Images of what _could_ have been bombarding him once more, still just as vivid as if he had lived through them himself. As if they were memories instead of glimpses into an aborted timeline.

One solitary tear trailed down his cheek as he imagined a life without Rose. Without all they had become. Without her smile. Without her hand to hold.

A world without Rose was not a world worth living in.

He knew she wasn't due to wake up for at least another three hours. But his need to see her smile, feel her touch, feel her presence in his mind was too much. He needed her, and he needed her now.

.....

The first few months after Christmas had been a whirlwind of bliss. Rose couldn't believe the change her relationship with the Doctor had taken. The fact that she could kiss him anytime she desired, and that he could do the same, still hit her with an odd sense of pleasant surprise. They continued to face danger and run head first from one adventure to the next. But the undercurrent of emotion as they faced each day, together, was different than before. She felt like they were living inside their own bubble of happiness.

And then it all changed.

It was subtle at first, a tiny difference that she didn't pay any notice to really.

Then she noticed him sneaking off. Of course, she knew she had nothing to worry about when it came to other women. Sure, he was still a bit of a flirt, but so was she, to be honest. She knew when it came down to it, they really only had eyes for each other. Not to mention, he was only sneaking off to other parts of the TARDIS, usually when she was supposed to be asleep.

She didn’t ask questions. Even after she had noticed his slightly odd behavior, she pretended not to. She waited him out, hoping that one day he would tell her what was going on.

Weeks passed and still he said nothing.

She tried to be patient. She knew that although they were closer than ever before, there were still some things he kept close to his hearts. He had lived for hundreds of years without her, without someone he could trust implicitly. It was bound to take time for him to open up completely. And she was ok with that. She resolved herself not to push and scare him away.

If it was important, he would tell her.

When they had finally crossed the line from just friends to lovers, they hadn’t exactly been shy about their affections for each other. Especially when it was just the two of them in the TARDIS. Their love life was anything but boring. Yet, she knew something was really bothering him when things like location no longer mattered. Sometimes he made love to her against the console, against the outdoor TARDIS doors, in alleys or any place in the middle of danger where they were remotely hidden from view. It was the urgency behind his actions that gave him away. Something hidden that she could barely sense, tucked away in the corner of his mind.

One night, she opened her eyes to find him staring at her with such intensity that her breath caught in her throat. Hazy memories from being hit over the head with _something_ during their latest escape flitted into her mind. They must have done something else to her, because her body felt like it was made of lead.

She groaned, her mouth feeling dry and her tongue sluggish as she tried to speak. “Did they--”

“Shhh. They drugged you, just give it a minute,” he murmured gently. She could hear a strain in his voice and see the tense line of his jaw.

She closed her eyes and concentrated on wiggling her fingers and toes. Slowly, feeling returned to her body one limb at a time. Opening her eyes, she smiled up at him. “All better.”

“Are you sure?” His eyes flitted between both of hers, searching for anything that would tell him otherwise.

“Yeah. I feel like I could run a marathon.” She was stretching the truth a bit. Really she wanted a proper nap, but she could definitely walk or run the rest of the way to the TARDIS. Maybe. She wasn’t exactly sure where they were. She could barely make out the dark alien sky, his head was taking up most of her field of vision.

Something shifted in his eyes and in the next instant, his lips were pressing against hers. His weight settled more firmly on top of her and his hands cradled her face. Once she began kissing him back, letting him know that she really was fine, his mouth moved more insistently. His tongue delved into her mouth and his hands roamed her body, searching for skin.

A part of her brain wanted to stop. While she didn’t know _exactly_ where they were, she could tell they were out in the open. Exposed. But a larger part of her brain had gone silent, her body already responding to his skillful touches and aching for more. Her hands sifted through his thick hair, scratching at his scalp. He shifted, letting one hand snake under her shirt and the other yank down her trousers. She didn’t even try to understand the logistics of it. Her body had clearly recovered from whatever drug had been given to her, but her mind had not. Or maybe it was just that she had shifted from the drugged state to the haze of lust burning through her.

All she knew was there was far too much clothing still left between the two of them. She began pushing clothes from his body in a frenzy, no longer caring at all about who saw. Together they managed to wriggle his trousers and pants low enough. He thrust into her with one sure stroke and she arched into him, moaning into his ear.

Usually, when his mind reached out for hers it was gentle, like he was still giving her the chance to shut him out. She never did.

This time was different. His presence filled her mind in a sudden rush, an abrupt burst of light and sensation and emotion. Tears welled up in her eyes as his love for her crashed over her like a tidal wave. She was almost so blinded by his love and the feeling of him moving within her that she didn’t notice that the feeling he usually kept bottled away was seeping out into everything else.

Desperation. And...loss?

She didn’t understand it. She was right here, yet he was making love to her like he had lost her and found her again against all odds.

Rose did the only thing she knew how to do in that moment. She opened herself up to him completely, losing her sense of self. Wrapping her arms and legs tightly around him, reassuring him mentally and physically as he whispered “I love you” against her neck over and over.

They cried out simultaneously, their orgasms sweeping swiftly through their bodies and echoing through their mental link. She pressed soft kisses to his face as they slowly recovered their breathing.

When he looked at her, she could see something still unhinged in his eyes. She smiled at him sadly and kissed the tip of his nose.

“I think,” she began, thankful for their still joined position preventing him from running away, “That it’s time you told me what’s going on.”

He opened his mouth to speak, probably protest, then clicked it shut. His eyes wandered over every inch of her face before he exhaled roughly. He nodded and then quickly buried his nose in the crook of her neck. He rolled them over, breathing her in and holding her tightly.

…..

“I suppose, the easiest way to explain is just to show you.” The Doctor’s voice was quiet and defeated. His shoulders were hunched as he stared out at the vastness of space. They were sitting on the edge of the TARDIS doors as the time ship floated aimlessly among the stars.

Rose reached out to take his hand, brushing her thumb over his knuckles. She sent gentle pulsing waves of reassurance to him from where they touched, feeling warmth drift down her arm and through their hands.

He turned and smiled at her, it was small but genuine and his eyes sparkled. “You’re getting quite good at that you know.”

“I have the best teacher,” she replied earnestly, giving him a tongue touched smile.

Instead of his usual egotistical preening, he chuckled and placed a kiss on her forehead. He pulled away slightly so he could look directly into her eyes. “You sure you want to know?”

“Doctor, wanting to know everything about you doesn’t stop just because you started sleeping with me.”

He blinked, then shook his head. “Well, this isn’t really...about me. I mean, it is. But not only me. It--”

“Just tell me. I don’t want you to be dealing with this alone either.”

He nodded then leaned back and released her hand. After digging around in his right trouser pocket, he pulled out a plain box. Something flared in the back of her mind. She shivered as a sense of dread radiated from the harmless looking item. She wanted to run from it.

“You can feel it?” he asked, sounding slightly surprised.

Rose’s head snapped up to find the Doctor looking at her with an arched eyebrow, the box held carefully in his lap. She shrugged. “It’s like...like it’s evil.” She wrinkled her nose and shook her head. “Not evil. _Wrong_.”

His eyes narrowed and she recognized the look on his face when he was trying to solve a problem in the back of his mind without bringing attention to it.

“Why?”

“Hmm?" He refocused on her, on the here and now. "Oh, no reason.”

“Doctor,” she warned.

“Please, Rose. Not now. One thing at a time?”

“Alright,” she grudgingly agreed. “But I’m holding you to that.”

“Holding me to...what exactly?” He waggled his eyebrows.

She rolled her eyes. “I thought we were having a serious conversation here.”

“Right you are, Miss Tyler,” he said with a wink. Looking back down at the box, all trace of humor disappeared from his face. He took a shaky breath as he opened it, revealing a faded newspaper inside. He started to reach for it but jerked his hand away. He held the box out to Rose.

“Wait, this is what you got on Christmas, yeah?” She bit her lip, stalling for time. It was just an old newspaper, yet she found herself wanting to set it on fire and never see it again.

“Yes,” he choked out. “Rose if you don’t--”

“It’s fine. Just a piece of paper.” She steeled herself internally and snatched the paper out of the box. Now that she was holding it, her curiosity was pushing through. She unfolded it slowly, exposing the front page. Her eyes went wide and she gasped.

The colors were muted, like the paper had spent too much time out in the sun. But there was no mistaking the figures of Daleks and Cybermen flying through the sky. "Hundreds Killed in Battle of Canary Wharf." She looked up at the Doctor, to find a haunted expression on his face.

"Page ten." His voice was thick and she could tell something was deeply troubling him. But she did as he commanded.

The words "List of the Dead" jumped out at her. Her stomach twisted in knots, wondering exactly what he was waiting for her to find. She scanned the names, some vaguely familiar but no one that the Doctor would know. She got towards the end of the list, skipping over her own name before her mind fully let the implication sink in. Her eyes shot back to her name, now standing out on the paper.

"But..." Her question died on her lips as she took in the way he was staring at her, as if she were going to vanish. "Is this why--?"

"There's more."

"More?" She looked down at the paper in confusion.

His hands gently pulled it out of her grip and set it to the side. He scooted closer and took both her hands in his, lacing their fingers together and resting his forehead against hers. His breathing was shallow and ragged and she wanted nothing more than to take this pain from him.

"It's easier to...I won't be able..." He swallowed thickly.

She nodded in understanding, squeezing his hands and waiting for him to share the images with her.

"I love you," he breathed. 

As his lips softly covered hers, images flooded her mind. Everything played out from his point of view. Daleks and Cybermen attacking. Sucking them into the void. Her stupid fingers slipping until she fell away from him. Rescued by Pete but separated from him forever. The white wall. Bad wolf bay. Losing the transmission before he could say the words he now gave to her freely. Spiraling into darkness and resurfacing. Finding her again. Losing her...giving her up...to a somehow part human version of himself. The final plunge into darkness that he barely made it out of.

She pulled away, tears in her eyes and her chest too tight. No wonder he had been feeling desperate. She didn't fully understand the how or the why, but one thing was painfully clear. They had almost lost each other, forever. And while she had eventually ended up with some version of a happy ending, he had gone on. Alone once more.

He was silent, gauging her reaction and holding back his own emotions. He didn’t need to say anything for her to know how he felt. His emotions had bled through the images and were continuing to slip through his shakily erected mental barriers.

She winced then wrenched her eyes shut as another image ripped through her mind, this time not coming from the Doctor.

It was her. Pressing her cheek and hand against her side of the blank wall, tears streaming down her face. They had saved the universe, but at great personal cost. She could feel the gaping hole in her heart after only seconds of separation. The pain of loss was replaced by naive hope as his voice called to her in her dreams. Hope that was shattered as she realized he wasn’t calling to her to whisk her away, but to say goodbye. Wanting the sand or the waves or _anything_ to swallow her up as long as it took away the pain. Happiness with a human Doctor while living simultaneously with the heartbreak of watching the other walk out of her life, never to return.

The image vanished as rapidly as it had come. But the feelings of loss and grief lingered, like a bitter after taste. The tears that had gathered in her eyes, now fell freely down her cheeks.

“Rose?”

She opened her mouth to answer, but the words got stuck in her throat. What could she say after all of that?

She reached for him, truly understanding how he had been feeling and needing to feel him come apart beneath her. Climbing into his lap, she crashed her lips against his. Trembling, as if she had truly lived through the pain and loss, she tentatively reached her mind out to him for the first time. She could sense his surprise at her being the one to initiate the mental link, but he quickly let her enter his mind.

Their kisses were sloppy. Hands ripped at clothing, bits of it nearly lost to the pull of space. Teeth clicked painfully together as she urged him to lay down. The grating was cold and pressed into her knees as she sank down onto his length. She spared a thought of concern for his back which was quickly chased away when he sat up, changing the angle and devouring her lips. She was fairly certain this position wouldn’t be nearly as satisfying any other time. But the overwhelming need to be as near as possible to each other was adding an edge of frenzied arousal that pulsed rapidly through her body and his as well, their shared bond amplifying it to howling crescendo.

Stars and other wonders of the universe swirled and sparkled beyond the open TARDIS doors. Great celestial beauties that anyone would have given anything to catch a glimpse of.

Rose and the Doctor paid no attention to the backdrop. Chasing something far more important and far more beautiful. Their love for each other.


	2. Also, I Can Kill You With My Brain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is unbeta'd, so all mistakes are very, very much mine.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Rose asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear before scooting closer to his side.

They had since moved to the sofa in the library where it was more comfortable and a good deal less drafty. He was wearing his trousers, no pants (which he rarely wore anymore anyway), and his white tshirt. Rose was considerably less dressed, wearing only her knickers and his light blue Oxford. She tucked herself under his arm with her knees bent and resting on his thigh.

He wiggled his toes into the soft carpeting, biding his time. He had known he was going to have to explain why he had kept this from her afterwards. Which, yes, brought him a certain sense of discomfort. But there was something else bothering him. Her reaction immediately after he had shared the visions with her. The brief flicker of pain that had crossed her face like she had been seeing something else. Something that had been blocked from their mental link. Something _he_ hadn't been the one to show her.

“Doctor?”

He scrubbed a hand down his face and wrapped his arm more securely around her shoulders. “The short answer is, I got distracted. Initially anyway.”

“Distracted? What could have distracted you from _that_?" she asked, disbelief thickly laced in her tone.

He looked pointedly down at her and waited for it to sink in.

“Oh,” she mouthed quietly, her cheeks turning slightly pink. 

They had remained in physical contact since the admission and thus kept the mental link open in the background. Rose had far surpassed his expectations in being able to handle and control the thoughts and emotions directed at him. Not that she ever kept anything hidden from him. But she had learned how to focus what she wanted his attention to be on and how to not bombard him with everything chaotically. All in all, a very effective telepathic communicator. Right now he could sense an undercurrent of guilt and apologies.

“No need to feel sorry, or guilty, Rose. I’m not.” He sent her an image of what they had done on their one month anniversary as an official couple. Well, several images of what they had done all over their secluded bungalow on Serla Four. Not that he would ever admit to thinking of time in regards to how long they had been together.

“Hey,” she giggled, playfully hitting him in the chest. “We agreed. None of that until we got this discussion out of the way.”

“Then no guilt.” He tapped the tip of her nose.

“Fine." She stuck her tongue out playfully, her guilt fading away. His eyes dropped to the motion, his mouth ready to follow suit. She pulled her tongue back into her mouth, brow furrowing as she turned serious again. "But then what about after the...distractions?”

“Honestly," he sighed, grudgingly returning to the matter at hand, "I found it again on accident. I was looking for something else in my pockets while you were asleep. I had wanted to toss it out of the TARDIS. But she wouldn’t let me.”

“What do you mean? As in, she wouldn’t let you get rid of it?”

“Nope, frustratingly enough,” he grumbled, staring straight ahead.

“So what have you been doing since then? Don’t think I haven’t noticed you sneaking off at night.” Rose nudged him with her shoulder, bringing his attention back to her. She was smiling, but it wasn’t a smile that reached her eyes.

His face fell and he placed a kiss to her forehead. “Right. Sorry about that. I just...I didn’t want…” _Didn’t want you to be as terrified of losing me as I am of losing you,_ he thought to himself.

“I know,” she whispered as her face softened, knowing what he was thinking even though he had kept it purposely to himself. “But now I do know, so you need to tell me everything, yeah? We’ll face this the way we do everything else. Together.”

His hearts sank in his chest, hearing her echo the offer his metacrisis self (that didn’t exist in this universe) had promised her on the beach while he stood by. Helpless.

“Sorry,” she muttered, picking up on the unintentional connection. “I wasn’t thinking. I--”

“It’s fine." He sniffed and looked away, trying form some sort of mental block without being too obvious.

"Hey," she whispered, reaching her hand up to his face and cupping his cheek. _Look at me_ , she mentally urged.

Slowly he turned his head.

_Don't shut me out now. I'm still here. And I have no plans on going anywhere. Not even a human you could convince me otherwise._

_Maybe it would have been better that way._

_Don't you dare--_

"But Rose,” he blurted, pent up fears and thinking he wasn’t good enough bursting to the surface, “A matched lifespan. With domestics and children and--"

_Stop._

He swallowed, taken aback that she had scolded him mentally instead of verbally. The golden glow in his mind burned red around the edges. He knew better than to argue the point further. He knew she meant everything that she was saying, that she believed it more than she believed anything. Still…

He sighed and pulled her so that she was sitting curled up in his lap in order to wrap both arms around her. Nuzzling into her neck, he breathed her in, letting her warmth and scent wash over him until he felt some degree of peace. The red faded, leaving her golden glow to bathe every corner of his mind and chase away the darkness that had begun to build a home there.

She had looped her arms around his shoulders, holding him to her and rubbing small circles into his upper back.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured against her skin. “At first I was so terrified that I had come _that_ close to losing you. Then...I started thinking--”

“There’s your first mistake,” she teased.

He wiggled his fingers against her ribs, making her squirm, then continued as if she hadn’t interrupted. “And I couldn’t help but wonder if maybe...you would actually be happier that way.”

Her motions ceased and he could sense her unsureness about something. She was probably conceding that a small part of her would be happier and didn’t want to tell him.

“Would you like to see what I saw?” she asked in a small voice.

He straightened up, surprised and concerned that his earlier suspicion had been right. “What do you mean?”

“Don’t pretend like you didn’t notice,” she huffed. “I know you.”

“Well,” he drew out the word, trying to think of how to explain.

“It’s ok,” she giggled. The smile slipped from her face and her fingers tightened on the fabric of his shirt. “Do you want to?”

He nodded, eager yet nervous. What if he was right? More right than he wanted to be? That she really would have been happier?

She rested her forehead against his and closed her eyes. She had only done something like this a few times before. He closed his eyes in turn, not wanting her to feel like he was staring at her while she tried to concentrate.

_Just take your time, love._

Her breath evened out, puffing gently over his lips.

The picture started off blurry then abruptly became clear. He saw the same scenes from her point of view. Felt her loss, her hope...her heart ache. Running to her mum as if she was the only thing left to keep her from drowning in despair. Then came the part he was dreading. Bad Wolf Bay, the second time. He could feel her love for the human him, leaving him with a mix of jealousy and pride at how quickly she had accepted him. They were the same man after all.

And then something he hadn’t expected as the sound of the dematerializing TARDIS broke them apart, heartache. There was an awkwardness as Rose and the metacrisis adjusted to life together. Marriage and a house and children and growing old and everything he ever wanted to give her, but never could.

When the images stopped, he opened his eyes. Her amber eyes were shining once more with tears.

“Do you understand _now_?” she asked quietly, her voice shaking.

He did. Better than he had ever understood. He knew she loved him, without a doubt. But there was always that worry that he wasn’t good for her, that he wasn’t enough. What her visions had shown him was that even with everything he thought she deserved and wanted to give to her, a life he could never lead, she still loved him. Oh, her and the metacrisis were happy and in love and made the most out of the life they were given. But his walking away left a scar on her heart that while it became easier to live with, never fully healed. 

Even in a time line where they had never crossed that line to becoming _more_ , where they danced around the topic and pretended like they had all the time in the universe. Where he never had a chance to utter the three words, let alone _truly_ show her what she meant to him. Even then...she had loved him fiercely and would carry that love for the remainder of her life.

“Rose, I...you…” unable to find the words he was searching for, he tentatively kissed her lips. She trembled as her mouth slanted under his. They kissed deeply, clinging to each other and moving their lips slowly.

“I don’t deserve you,” he confessed as he pulled away so she could catch her breath, nuzzling his nose against hers.

“I know.”

“And you call _me_ rude?” He sat back, putting space between their faces but keeping his arms firmly around her.

“No point in denying that I am clearly the better of the two of us.” Rose shrugged her shoulders and her eyes danced with mirth.

“You better watch yourself, I may just have to punish you for being so cheeky.” He waggled his eyebrows.

“Later,” she promised, kissing his cheek. “I believe that you still have some explaining to do.”

“I do?” What was there to explain? He had thought the reason for kissing her had been abundantly clear.

She rolled her eyes. “Where did it come from?”

“Where did what--oh! Yes, that.” He shook his head slightly. “I, um, don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

 

“I mean I legitimately have no idea. I’ve run several tests on it and I’ve been able to come up with nothing. Which is surprising considering the vast array of tests I’ve performed and they’ve all been run here on the TARDIS. Not in some, human facility.” His eyes widened as he caught his unintentional insult. “No offense, of course.”

“I’m used to you insulting my species. I don’t take it personally.” Rose patted him fondly on the chest. “So no luck at all then?”

“I’ve actually had to lower myself to your human level to try and get some sort of answer.” He shuddered in disgust. “Something I’m not proud of, nor will I admit to if anyone else ever asks.”

“Cross my heart,” she said seriously, only the slight twitch of her lips giving her amusement away. “Lowered yourself how, exactly?”

“Basic DNA, thumb print type evidence. So primitive and honestly, the way you humans do it is highly inaccurate. But I’m running out of options.”

“Have you come up with anything?”

“Not really. A couple of people that have no connection to us whatsoever. And who would have no way to pull off something like aborting a time line. And then one anomaly. Been giving me fits actually. The TARDIS won’t analyze one of the components.”

“She won’t or she can’t?”

“Oh no, she very much can. She just...won’t. It’s like she knows the answer...but doesn’t _want_ to know the answer.”

“She doesn’t want you to find out?”

“I don’t think it has anything to do with me. Not in that sense anyway. It’s something she doesn’t like. Almost like the answer gives her a headache or indigestion…”

“You make it sound like bad food. Or that one annoying friend you can’t get rid of. You two have been all over time and space. What could possibly be so bad that she can’t stand the thought of it?”

His eyes went wide and something clicked in place. He smacked the heel of his palm against his forehead and groaned loudly. "Oh you have got to be kidding me." Rose watched him patiently, awaiting some sort of explanation.

He wanted to be sure he was right before he told her anything. Because it was something he hoped he wouldn't have to think of again. Or at least not for a very, very long time. Something he _really_ did not want to explain to Rose. But if he was right, and he usually was, then he also owed the answer a great big thank you. No matter how much it would drive him mad.

"Shift,” he gently ordered, patting her bum as best he could.

"Excuse me?" She looked at him in confusion.

"Shift please?" The Doctor gave her a polite smile.

"What--"

"I promise I will explain in a moment. If, and only if, my assumption is correct."

"So if you're wrong--"

"I'm not."

" _If_ you are, then I don't get to know?"

"Correct."

"That hardly seems fair."

"It will hardly be of consequence if I'm wrong. Which I'm not. Or rather, I would like to be, but well..." He trailed off, looking immensely proud of his intelligence.

Rose rolled her eyes but removed herself from his lap. Their mental link dissolved as their contact lessened and then ceased, a feeling he never quite enjoyed.

Hopping up from the sofa, he sent the TARDIS a mental request for the screen to a system he had last been using to run the test on. A screen appeared in the opposite wall, ready and waiting. Before he could key in the command to compare the samples directly to what was already on board, there was a beep and the display changed.

Yellow letters across the screen read: "Match Found: Jack Harkness"

The Doctor pinched the bridge of his nose, a headache already forming from just thinking about the man and the impossibility he had become.

"Well?" Rose prompted from behind him. "What is it?"

He schooled his features as neutral as possible before he turned to face her. "Bloody Jack Harkness."


	3. I Can't Die

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by the wonderful almondina.

Rose's nose scrunched up and her brow furrowed as she tried to make sense of what he had just said. She was adorable like that. The Doctor wanted to cherish the image before him, knowing that once the truth came out, innocent and adorable were not going to be the best words to describe her demeanor.

"What about him? Did he damage some system or something before…” she toyed with the hem of his Oxford and swallowed. “Well, just before?"

"No," he answered simply with a slight shake of his head, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall.

"Then what? He can't be the one responsible for this.” Her laugh was cut short when he didn’t join in. Her eyes pinned him to the wall and he wanted to hit himself for the mixed look of hope and confusion on her face. “Can he?"

He remained silent, waiting to see if she would figure it out on her own.

She snapped her fingers and pushed up into her knees. He tried to ignore the way his shirt crept up her thighs as she shifted. She grinned, for once her excitement was not catching. "I know! He was a time traveler before we met him, yeah? So he did it sometime before then." She paused, tilting her head. "But why would he do that? If he didn't know us...coincidence?"

"No," he repeated. The guilt at never telling her that Jack had survived resurfaced, gnawing at his insides. He told himself it had been to protect her, to spare her the truth of what she had inadvertently done to him as Bad Wolf. Oh sure, part of it had initially been jealousy. But that was before he knew that she had wanted him just as much as he wanted her.

“What else aren’t you telling me?” She sat back, resting defeatedly on her knees. There was a hint of accusation in her tone that pierced his hearts.

He hung his head, wishing he had his full suit on. How had one human girl managed to tear down his walls?

“Doctor?” she whispered.

The tenderness with which she spoke his name drew his eyes to her face like a magnet. There was no anger or judgement in her expression. Just concern, for him. He knew she deserved the truth. And he knew why she had managed to coax him to show her his true self, something he never shared with anyone. Her love and faith in him always made him want to be better than he was.

He forced a half smile and pushed away from the wall, coming to stand in front of her. Crouching down he clasped his hands together and looked her in the eye. “Rose, Jack is alive.”

Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open. Any moment now would come the yelling. Or the slap. Or both.

She lunged forward, her arms wrapping around his neck.

Of the 18 reactions he had calculated as a possibility, launching herself at him with a delighted squeal after a moment of shock was not among them. They toppled awkwardly to the floor and he sluggishly returned her embrace. She giggled and buried her face into his neck. Had she misinterpreted what he had said? He thought he had been fairly straightforward and to the point...why was she--

“Wait,” she said, propping herself up to look at him. “How do you know that?”

Ah, there it was. He could lie, say he just now found out. That he hadn’t known the entire time. All he had to do was form the words. He had lied to people before, some of them even friends. Lying wasn’t exactly new to him.

Who was he kidding? He couldn’t lie to her like that. Especially not now.

“Er, well…” he drummed his fingers restlessly on her back and swallowed back the bile rising in his throat. “I’ve actually--actually known for um, some time.”

Rose shot up to a full sitting position, straddling his waist. His hands slid to her hips and hers moved to rest on her thighs. She narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean? _Some_ time? Hours? Days?”

He shook his head, afraid to speak. It didn’t help that his body was at war with his mind. Her hair was tousled, making her look nothing short of gorgeous, and her current position had his body wishing they could work this out in a non-verbal manner. So far he had kept his hormones successfully under control, his mind repeating over and over how now was _not_ the time.

“Weeks?”

He shook his head again.

“ _Months?_ ”

He took a deep, steadying breath and willed himself to keep looking her in the eye. “Since the Game Station," he croaked.

“You told me he died!” she shrieked.

“ _Technically_ I never told you anything. I was a bit busy at the time...changing my face and all.” The unspoken “dying to save your life” hung in the air between them. He regretted the words and wished his big mouth and still lingering jealousy would shove off.

“Why didn’t you tell me after?" He could see her fingers digging into her legs as she fought to control her temper. They didn't need to be telepathically linked for him to know he had royally mucked up and was only seconds away from the full explosion of her anger. "You’ve known all this time and you never even said!”

“I just...didn’t think about it. It didn’t seem important.” That was partially true. Sort of. A bit.

“You didn’t think it important to tell me that one of my best friends was still alive?” she asked incredulously, poking him roughly in the chest. He winced and jerked under her assault, which only made her continue. “This whole time I thought he was dead.”

“He did die, also _technically_ speaking.”

“What does _that_ mean?” Her hand was raised slightly, finger directed at his chest. No doubt his next words would determine whether or not she kept jabbing at him.

The Doctor held his hands up in defeat. “I will explain everything if you stop abusing me.”

“Would you prefer a slap?” she snapped, arching an eyebrow with her hand still in mid air.

“What? No! I--”

“You have thirty seconds.”

“That’s hardly fair. What if something needs clarification? What if you interrupt me? What--”

“Twenty-five,” she replied, crossing her arms and staring down at him.

His jaw worked uselessly, his hands loosely resuming their position on her hips. There was no trace of humor in her stony expression. He knew he should tell her, should have probably told her a long time ago, but...he was loathe to tell her the truth and have her feel guilty at the result. However, he certainly didn’t want a Tyler slap. He’d been on the receiving end of that before. Multiple times.

“Right, well..." He floundered, trying to think of how best to start. The beginning(ish) would probably be acceptable. "Um, so Jack did die. Was probably dead a good thirty seconds actually. Not really sure, since I wasn’t in the immediate vicinity. But when you came back as Bad Wolf--not only did you destroy the entire Dalek fleet..." He paused, his voice turning soft and quiet as he told her what she had done. "Rose you...you brought him back to life.”

“I bring life,” she whispered with wide eyes, staring off into space. He shivered, remembering the day she came to him like the goddess he always knew she was. Bathed in golden light with the power of time at her fingertips. She looked down at him, all trace of anger gone. “If I brought him back to life, why did we leave him there? I know you were um, busy…” she trailed a hand gently down his cheek, “And I know you can be rude. Exceedingly so at times. But there has to be something else.”

Here it was, the one part of the story he hadn’t wanted to explain. He closed his eyes and leaned into her lingering touch. His mind buzzed, wanting to merge with hers if only to help soothe her. He tamped down the urge, if she wanted that, she would ask for it.

“Can I sit up?” he asked, opening his eyes. She shuffled to the side, off of him and onto the floor. He sat up and turned towards her, raking a hand frustratingly through his hair. “Just remember that while it was you doing it, it wasn’t _your_ fault. You had the vortex burning through you, there’s no possible way you could have known what you were doing.”

“You make it sound like bringing him back to life was a bad thing.” Her tone was forcibly light, yet she wrapped her arms protectively around her torso. His hearts ached, hating to see her so uncertain of herself.

“Everything you do is so painfully human. Now hang on, don't look at me like that. You embody the all the good of the human race. The curiosity, the need to stand up for those who can't stand up for themselves, the compassion. So when you brought him back to life, you brought him back for good.”

“I don’t understand.” She twirled a strand of hair around her finger, chewing her bottom lip.

“He literally cannot die." He tilted his head. "Well, he can. He just...doesn’t stay dead.”

“So he dies...and then comes back to life?” Her legs were curled underneath her and she absently smoothed down his button-up (that she was still wearing and was a source of distraction).

“Basically yes." He propped up one knee, resting his arm on it as he tugged at his ear. "He’s an impossible anomaly in time and space. It’s why I ran from him. I’m a Time Lord. And he-he does _not_ follow the laws. His presence grates on my nerves. The TARDIS and I can’t stand to be around him.” He shuddered, the thought of being near Jack making his skin itch.

“So we abandoned him...because of me? Because of what I did to him?” Her voice was shaky and she looked away.

“Rose…”

“Oh God, he must hate me now.” Tears filled her eyes and then spilled over, running down her cheeks.

He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her and rubbing her back. Tentatively he reached out with his mind, circling around and around hers without intruding. For a few moments he couldn’t speak. Her mixture of emotions that were pouring out (mostly guilt) overwhelming him to the point of silence. She clung to his shirt and buried her face into his chest. “Rose, there’s no way he, or anyone in the universe, could hate you. While yes, you may have extended his lifespan way beyond his expectations you can’t look at it as a curse. It probably took some getting used to, but I bet now Jack looks at it now as a gift.”

“You do though,” she mumbled angrily.

“I do what?”

“Look at it as a curse.”

“Now, I didn’t say that. Physically unable to tolerate his presence and thinking of Jack Harkness living forever as a curse is not the same thing. Although...the more I think about it…” He looked down, hoping that she caught his teasing tone.

She looked up, her eyes slightly red. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Then I’m afraid I’m not following your train of thought.”

“I’m surprised you aren’t just looking.”

“Hey, I am trying _not_ to be rude. For the moment.” He gave her a crooked smile, holding back his own hurt when she didn't give him one in return.

She sniffed. “You look at living forever as a curse.”

“I’m hardly going to live _forever_.” The conversation was not supposed to head this direction. Their mismatched life spans was a topic he spent a great deal of time blatantly ignoring. As much as possible with their lifestyle anyway.

“Don’t be an arse. You know what I’m trying to say.” He couldn't tell if the anger in her words was for what she had done to Jack, for him not telling her about Jack sooner, or about his seemingly hypocritical stance on living a very, very long time.

He had a reason for hating his lengthy life span. An extremely good reason in his opinion. A reason he happened to be holding in his arms.

“You know why I think that," he murmured, pulling her back to his chest and nuzzling her hair.

She snuggled closer. “I know.” She placed a kiss between his hearts, making them skip a beat. “You really don’t think he hates me?”

“That’s impossible.”

“So...can we go see him?”

“Also impossible.” He kissed her head and then carefully untangled himself. He had known this was coming. Hopefully, maybe, he could convince her otherwise. He jumped to his feet. “I know what you need, Rose Tyler. An adventure! Oh, maybe not...considering the last one. Vacation? Pleasure planet! Pick your poison - shopping or theme park.” He shoved his hands into his trouser pockets and rocked back on his heels, looking down at her with a manic smile.

“Doctor,” she said, standing up slowly. He inhaled sharply, the sight of her standing in naught but his button up knocking the breath out of him. Again. He wondered how normal that was, to still have that reaction at the sight of your significant other. Or if that was just Rose. “We owe him a thank you.”

“Ha!” he scoffed, twisting away from her so he could think straight. “Thank you? Do you have any idea what he could have done? What destruction he could have caused? How many laws of time he broke doing...whatever it was that he did.” He laughed. “No, Jack Harkness does not deserve a thank you from me.”

“Oh really? So the fact that we are able to be together, and _stay_ together means...nothing? You’re right, that sounds extremely undeserving of a thank you.”

He spun back around. “You know that’s not...I don’t...Roooose,” he whined.

She smiled coyly and walked up to him, slowly creeping like the wolf he knew she was. “I’d say that if anyone deserves a thank you, _in person_ , that Jack is at the top of the list.” She slid a hand up his chest and around his neck. “Don’t you agree?” She stood on tip toe, gripping his shoulders and brushing her breasts against him. He groaned, knowing he was done for. “Doctor?” she whispered low, her lips brushing his ear and enunciating each syllable of his name.

He shuddered, his hands finding her hips without any input from him.

She pulled back and looked up at him, batting her lashes innocently.

“You know that you do not play fair at all, don’t you?” he asked, his voice husky.

“I’m sure you’ll think of a suitable punishment for me.”

“Oh yes,” he promised before he bent and trailed kisses down her neck.

She hummed and tilted her head to the side. “Does this mean we can go see him?”

“I’m trying to engage in foreplay. I do not want to think about Jack Harkness.” He nipped at her pulse point, her hands fisted into his shirt. “Nor do I want you to be.”

“Say yes and I promise I will forget he even exists. For at least three hours.”

“Fine,” he growled, sucking on her earlobe. Rose grinned.

“Wasn’t a yes, but I’ll take it.”


	4. No You Don't, Come Here!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by the lovely almondina.

“So, how exactly are we going to find him?” Rose asked, swinging her legs from the edge of the jump seat.

“Theoretically the TARDIS should be able to trace the signal of his vortex manipulator,” the Doctor explained without looking at her. He was at the monitor, his fingers flying over the keyboard despite the building unease inside.

“Why do you say theoretically?”

“Well, because of his, er, unique biological signature, the TARDIS may or may not want to lock on properly.”

“So we might not even find him?”

To an extent, the Doctor wished that would be true. Obstinately, he knew the man did deserve a thank you. A very, very large thank you. A subtle reassurance from the TARDIS flitted through his mind. He could detect the irritation underneath, but got the message.

“I have every faith that we will be able to find him. It just...may not be on the first try.” He glanced over to where she sat, giving her an exasperated look. “The TARDIS’s affinity for you outweighs her dislike of Jack.”

She hopped off the jump seat and came to stand behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist and leaning against his back. “I think it’s more than that. _She_ is the one who landed us on a strange planet and then locked us out until we resolved our...differences.”

The Doctor snorted, remembering the events from the previous Christmas. If it weren’t for the TARDIS or Jack, Rose wouldn’t be with him right now. And they most certainly wouldn’t be _together_ together. He twisted so he could put an arm around her shoulders and pull her to stand beside him. He knew she could feel the swirl of emotions inside him, so instead of voicing them out loud he looked down at her with a glint in his eyes. “Sometimes I wonder why she likes you so much.”

“I could say the same about you.” She stuck her tongue out at him.

“Fair point I suppose,” he admitted. “Alright Miss Tyler, are you ready to track down a rogue Time Agent?”

“More ready than you are.”

The Doctor slammed a button just to his right. Instinctively, they held on to each other as the time ship vibrated then took off through the time vortex.

“Just remember,” he began, turning so they were facing each other while they embraced. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and placed both hands on her upper arms. “I am _not_ responsible for any inappropriate remarks, gestures, or displays that we may encounter. However, if any of the aforementioned offenses are directed at you, I have every right to shove him into the nearest super nova.” He forced a grin, all sorts of nasty, distasteful scenarios playing out in the back of his mind.

Rose rolled her eyes. He was getting that reaction from her a lot lately. “You have _nothing_ to worry about.”

“From you, that is true. Jack Harkness is an entirely different story.”

“You know, he knew how I felt about you.” She slid her hands from around his waist and up to his chest, toying with the lapels of his suit jacket.

“He did? Even...back then?”

She hummed in confirmation. “Called me out on it several times. Liked to tease me behind your back.”

“So...why was he always…well, you know?”

“Oh that?” She giggled and hooked her hands together behind his neck. His own hands sprawled over her back, feeling her warmth beneath her pink lavender blouse. “For one, that’s Jack. You know that. But mostly he did it to get a rise out of you. Sorta hoped you would finally make a move.”

He opened his mouth to respond, his brain initially rejecting the information, but was interrupted by the slight shake of the TARDIS landing. He glanced at the display, the symbols having stopped spinning.

“First stop, Corxania. Apparently." Before he could read the rest of the information, Rose had released him and was dashing towards the doors. He groaned, his long legs already moving to catch up with her. "Rose, wait!"

She flung the doors wide...and froze. Expecting her to keep going, he skidded to a halt. His hands gripped her waist as he bumped into her, both of them tipping forward only slightly with her fingers anchored solidly on the wood.

"What--" he choked on his words as his eyes took in the sight before him. The Doctor barely registered the details of the room, various shades of orange and red swimming in his field of vision.

The main attraction was Jack Harkness in the middle of the bed. Pinning? Straddling? He couldn’t quite tell, nor did he really care to. He was clearly engaged in some sort of intimate activity with the alien, periwinkle hands holding onto Jack's biceps. A matching tentacle from...somewhere snaked up Jack's bare back, caressing gently. Thankfully, most of the more explicit parts were cover by the wrinkled maroon sheet. The Doctor fought his body's urge to vomit.

"Bad news," another alien of similar form called as a panel to the left hissed and slid up. "I didn't find the lube, but I _did_ find--" His emerald eyes bulged and the silver container he was carrying clanged to the floor as he noticed their presence.

Jack looked at the other alien, then followed his line of sight. He broke into a cocky grin, "Oh, hey Doc! You and Rose care to join in?"

"Nope," the Doctor hissed into Rose's ear, grasping her firmly around the waist and yanking her into the TARDIS.

Spinning her around, knowing his eyes were as wide as hers, he slammed the doors shut. They pressed their backs and arms against the doors, as if physically blocking the entrance would also block out what they had just seen. He closed his eyes a moment, desperately willing the mental image to vanish instead of being burned into the back of his eyelids.

“Are you absolutely certain you want to track him down?” he asked Rose, turning his head to look at her. She slowly met his eyes, her body backed into the wood as well. Her chest heaved twice before her shoulders relaxed and she nodded resolutely.

“Yes.”

The Doctor made a disgusted face, like he had eaten eaten something only to find it had contained a pear. He pushed away from the doors, stomping up the ramp to the console. “I’m never going to get that image out of my mind.”

Rose laughed behind him. “Don’t be such a prude.”

“I am not a prude. You should know much better than that by now. I just don’t care to have a visual to go along with what I know he gets up to in his spare time.” He shuddered and then pushed a button, followed by the flick of a lever. 

The TARDIS spun off into the vortex as she tried to find Jack’s signal once again. They stood in companionable silence. Well, mostly. There was an unsettling feeling shrouding them both. But he knew it was due to what they had just witnessed. Probably for different reasons. Rose no doubt felt off after seeing someone she had thought dead doing something very much alive. And he, well, he didn’t need to see that at all.

A few minutes later, the time ship shook violently, jostling the two occupants before landing with a thud.

"She alright?" Rose asked, straightening up and loosening her grip on the railing.

"Yeah..." He trailed off, looking at the monitor before they walked out the doors. "No wonder she didn't like the landing, she took us to your mother's."

"Oi! Not funny."

"I'm not joking. We are at your mum's. Well, for all intents and purposes. We aren't in her living room or anything. Thank goodness," he muttered under his breath as Rose walked down the ramp.

"I heard that," she called over her shoulder, pausing at the doors.

He smiled sheepishly as he headed in her direction. Rose vanished out the doors and he followed mere seconds later. They were indeed at the Powell Estates, the alley way just beside Jackie's flat. The sky, or what he could see of it, was bleak and grey. A biting breeze swept down the alley. Rose shivered and linked her arm through his.

"Wonder why she brought us here," she mused aloud.

"No idea," the Doctor exhaled, shaking his head. "You've made me lax in my post landing procedures, I should have checked the date."

"We could go back in...or do things _our_ way and peeak about." Excitement sparkled in her eyes as she looked up at him, a thrill shooting through his body at hearing her refer to their adventuring in such a manner. She was made for this life, no doubt about it.

"Alright, just... _slowly_. We can't be running into ourselves and wind up causing a paradox."

"Or reapers."

He gave her a kiss on the forehead, but chose not comment further on the matter. That had been a thorough lesson learned the hard way. "Come on."

They walked to the end of the alley and cautiously peeked around the corner.

"Is that the TARDIS?" Rose asked, squinting across the courtyard.

"Yes." He really should have checked the date. A man with dark hair and a grey wool coat that looked all too familiar was walking right towards the time ship.

"And who's that man?"

The man in question had turned around, staring up at the flats. His hand patted the blue wood.

"That man, touching _my_ TARDIS, is Jack Harkness," he replied tersely. Rose squeezed his arm, detecting the edge in his voice. The Doctor watched as the other man saluted towards Jackie's flat, looked down at his arm, and then seemingly vanished into thin air.

"We missed him," she stated sadly. "But what was he doing?"

It all clicked into place. Jack. The newspaper. The present.

"I think I know what day this is," he whispered, looking down at her.

"Really? How do--"

"Christmas, last year."

She gazed back out to the other TARDIS, leaning her head on his shoulder. "We owe him."

"Yeah," he sighed. He pulled his arm free from hers, ignoring her pout--well, brushing off the reason for it while trying to resist the temptation of her bottom lip jutting out. He draped his arm around her shoulders, breathing out deeply as she molded into his side, securing her arms around his waist. They turned, solemnly walking back to their proper TARDIS.

They held tightly to each other all the way up the ramp, the sound of their trainers thumping against the grating echoing through the otherwise silent room. When they reached the console he moved to cup her face. He brushed his thumbs over her smooth cheeks. The panic of coming so close, too close, to losing her swelling inside his chest.

Rose's eyes were misted over and her fingers curled tightly into the back of his suit jacket, her arms keeping them in close contact from stomach to toes as they gazed at each other.

His eyes dipped to her lips and her tongue swept over her bottom lip, her breath catching in anticipation. He brought his mouth to hers, a light brushing motion. Once. Twice. Three times, before keeping the pressure constant. She arched into him, her exhalation warm and shaky against his skin. He slanted his lips over hers, keeping the kiss soft and tender. 

His mind blanketed over hers, finding no resistance when he reached for her consciousness, needing her golden light shining through him. They were both on edge, seeking reassurance, yet missing that primal urge that was there earlier. He pulled back slightly to kiss her cheeks, her nose, her eyes, lingering on her forehead.

She buried her nose in his chest, inhaling deeply. He smiled, feeling considerably more relaxed, and placed his chin atop her head as he returned her embrace.

"How long until we find him?" Her words were muffled by the fabric of his suit.

"I honestly don't know, Rose. Why?"

There was a beat of silence preceding her hesitant request. "Can we go see my mum?"

"Now? No. Rose, we're inside the flat with her now. I can't attest to--"

"No, not _now_ now. Our now. As in before we search for Jack again."

"Oh, right. ‘Course."

"I just think she should know is all."

.....

The conversation with Jackie had gone rather well, considering. Except for when it had all finally hit her and she had choked out a sob, pulling Rose to her for a tight hug. That part hadn't been particularly torturous. It was when her watery eyes landed on the Doctor. He had made the mistake of sinking morosely into the sofa, a dark cloud hovering over him that even Jackie Tyler could detect.

She had then kissed Rose firmly on the cheek before releasing her and moving to sit next to him on the sofa. He was sure he had spluttered something about "please don't" and "not necessary", to which she had paid no attention. She grabbed his shoulders, roughly yanking him forward and forcing his head to rest way too close to her breasts for his liking. His arms had flailed and he had tried to back away. But Jackie was stronger than she looked. She had stroked his head, pinning him to her with one arm as she muttered condolences and that everything would be ok.

He had finally given up resisting when Rose had collapsed on the floor in a fit of laughter, clutching her sides and tears leaking out of the corner of her eyes. If it made her happy, it was worth the awkwardness. Mostly.

The wet kiss placed on the corner of his mouth before she finally set him free was pushing it.

"Now, who did you say was responsible for this? I'd like to thank them properly. Make them a nice meal."

"So, take out?"

"Well, I see this close call hasn't made you any less rude."

"Eating anything you make is always chance for a regeneration."

"Would you two stop it?" Rose snapped from her seat.

"Was just poking fun at himself here. It's been awhile since your last visit."

"Mum--"

"It's alright, love. I understand why. Bet you two have been at it like rabbits--"

" _Mum!_ " Rose hissed, her cheeks turning pink.

The Doctor sank even further into the sofa, burying his face in his hands. His own face was warm, no doubt red as well, and he wished the sofa would swallow him whole. This was very much not a conversation he wanted to be having with Jackie. Ever.

"Alright, alright." Jackie held her hands up in surrender. "Don't get your knickers in a twist."

" _Anyway_ ," Rose huffed. "Do you remember Jack? Was only around when the Doctor, well, looked different." She gave him a small smile.

"Oh! Was he the good looking American? With the pert bum?"

The Doctor's head snapped around, eyeing her suspiciously.

"Hardly my fault for noticing. Came tearing through the Estate completely starkers he did. Don't remember what you two were doing. But nearly gave poor Mrs. Hughes a heart attack, he did. Been ages since she's seen a man like that, poor dear."

"That'd be Jack alright," he mumbled, shaking his head.

"Jack's the one who pulled it off, somehow. We're trying to find him."

"And I hope you do. So you can bring him straight here and--"

"We really don't need to hear the rest, Jackie." He had heard quite enough already, thank you.

They spent the rest of the afternoon with her. He spent most of the time in his same spot on the sofa, partially watching telly while he tinkered with the hair dryer Rose had bought for her from the 31st century. Leave it to Jackie to break it.

The Doctor waited patiently outside as Rose said her goodbye (having already received another bear hug and narrowly dodging another kiss himself). He heard her apologizing for Jackie's missed opportunity with the parallel version of Pete Tyler. Truth be told, he did feel a bit guilty about that himself. As hard as he was on her, he had come to care for Jackie and think of her as family. Something he would never tell her to her face, although he suspected she knew.

"Don't worry about me, sweetheart," Jackie insisted. "I spent the past 20 years without him, I can survive the next. Besides, I have you. So don't you fret about me. You go with that alien of yours and enjoy every second."

He glanced over his shoulder just as Jackie pulled her daughter into a fierce hug. Their eyes locked for a split second. He nodded, getting the message loud and clear. Take care of Rose or he'd have her to answer to.

"Love you," Rose said as she backed away from her mother. She turned to him with a beaming smile that made his hearts melt. His returning grin probably made him look smitten and ridiculous. But as he took her outstretched hand, he didn't care.

They were just about to enter the TARDIS when Jackie's voice called to them from across the courtyard. "If you can't make it sooner, I at least expect you back in time for Christmas! I mean it!"

Rose waved to her in acknowledgement and followed him into the time ship.

"Resume searching or take a break? Your call," he stated, hands hovering over the console.

"That was a break," she replied cheekily.

"Very funny." He cranked a gear then pressed a button on the keyboard, resuming their search.

She closed the distance between them, placing both hands on his arm and rising on tip toe to kiss his cheek. "Thank you."

"Only because I love you," he murmured, turning to capture her lips. His hearts raced as he felt her smile into the kiss. Before he could progress the kiss any further, the time ship shook as she landed.

“So where are we this time?” Rose asked, pulling away.

“No idea. Let’s take a look!” The Doctor bounded down the ramp and stuck his head out the door. “Well, wherever we are, they have snow.”


	5. I'm Gonna Get Killed By a Christmas Tree!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta'd, all mistakes are mine.

“Snow?” Rose asked, stopping halfway to the doors with both hands on the rails.

“Yes," the Doctor replied, looking back at her with a mischievous grin. "You know, the white fluffy stuff?”

“Alright, smarty. Let me grab a coat.” He winked then swept out the doors as she turned back around. She didn’t have to look far, the TARDIS provided one for her on the back of the jump seat. She grabbed the grey coat with pink trim and slipped it on as she headed towards the exit.

She blinked as she stepped out, eyes adjusting to the sunlight bouncing off of the white snow that blanketed the area. The TARDIS had landed them on the outskirts of a town, just outside a copse of pine trees.

“Seems sort of...Earthy,” she said.

“I suppose there is a bit of an Earthy quality to it, yeah. But let’s not assume the town will be that way,” the Doctor said, sweeping his eyes around the area.

“See something?”

“Nope,” he popped the ‘p’ and appeared a little too cheery. She arched an eyebrow at him, but he only smiled wide and held his hand out to her, wiggling his fingers.

Taking the his hand, they set off for the town and hopefully Jack Harkness. She understood the Doctor’s need for distance from him, and after thinking on it, couldn’t really be mad at him for leaving him behind. She was still hurt that he hadn’t told her sooner, but they were here now, and that was what was important. She shivered, more from the images of what _could_ have happened than from the cold. Jack deserved a thank you, from them both.

As they approached the town, a feeling of dread settled in her stomach, slowly seeping through her the closer they got. It was odd. It seemed like an ordinary place. There were cottages covered in snow with smoke from chimneys snaking towards the sky. She gripped the Doctor’s hand tighter and walked a little closer.

“You feel it too?” he whispered as they walked between two of the buildings.

“Yeah. Something feels off. Like…” she paused, searching for the right word. They came out of the alleyway and into one of the streets. They froze in their tracks. “Christmas?”

Green garland and christmas lights hung from every available high surface, creating a twinkling canopy that was just as prevalent as the snow. Street lamps in the shape and style of candy canes dotted the road. Golden bells seems to hang from every door, creating a constant jingling background music.

The locals bustling about reminded Rose of elves brought to life from her childhood Christmas stories. They were short, the tallest ones coming up to her chest. They wore an array of greens and reds, with the occasional blue and yellow, complete with pointed hats and shoes.

“Are we where I think we are?” Her eyes swept up and down the street. “Again?”

“I don’t think so,” the Doctor replied tensely.

“Why not? It’s Christmas, everywhere.”

“Look closer.”

She fought the urge to sigh dramatically, knowing it wouldn’t accomplish anything. She tore her eyes away from the bright and cheerful decorations, focusing on the people instead. “No one’s laughing. They aren’t even smiling.”

“Wherever we are, it’s Christmas alright. But not the kind that’s filled with good cheer.”

She looked up at him. “Why would Jack be here?”

The Doctor shrugged, looking up and down the street. His jaw was set tight and she stroked the the back of his thumb. He turned back to her. “The sooner we find him and get out of here, the better.”

They began walking down the street, eyes peeled for any sign of their friend. Rose stayed close to the Doctor, trying to ignore the strange looks they were receiving from the locals they passed by. The place had all the trappings of Christmas, but was sorely missing the spirit.

“Maybe we should ask around?” she whispered. The atmosphere made her feel like she needed to keep her voice low, so as not to disturb anyone. Even the tinkling bells had taken an ominous tone.

“Rose, I’m sure between the two of us we can figure out where he is.”

"Men," she snorted, shaking her head.

"I am a Time Lord thank you very much, far superior to human males. Which you know rather... _intimately_." He turned abruptly, his eyes growing dark, backing her against the nearest building. It was amazing how quickly he could go from unaffected to full on aroused. It was equally amazing how rapidly her body responded in kind, whether she wanted it to or not. "Or have you already forgotten?" he whispered, pressing his hips into hers and reminding her just how impressive he was.

"I could always use a reminder," she breathed, already waiting for his mouth to press against hers and her heart racing in her chest. Her eyes fluttered shut as she felt the first teasing taste of his lips.

“Alright you two, that’s enough!”

The Doctor’s nose bumped against hers as his head turned towards the intruding voice. Disappointment swelled in her chest and she glared angrily at the elf (what else was she supposed to call him?). He was dressed in bright blue, his grey eyes watching them with disdain.

“Is there a problem?” the Doctor asked, his tone biting.

“The problem is your mitts all over her." He crossed his arms and snorted in disgust. "Although she doesn’t appear to be much better.”

“I really don’t see how that’s any of your business, mate,” Rose shot back, irritation bursting through the disappointment at being made to feel like she was some whore for snogging her...her whatever the Doctor was, in public. It's not like they were shagging against the wall. This time.

"Actually, it is my business as Head Elf of Security," he snapped haughtily before looking at the Doctor and ignoring her presence. "Your hand holding was enough to bother everyone without being obscene. But this," he gestures at their apparently compromising position, "This is too far."

"Hang on, did you say Head _Elf_?" Rose asked, fighting a smile.

"Yes, I did. Please pay attention." He turned his attention back to the Doctor. "And step away from the female, if you don't mind."

"Oi! The _female_ is right here and I have a name, thanks." Her eyes flashed and her grip on the Doctor tightened in frustration.

"Now, Rose. Careful. Let's not be getting," he paused, licking his lips and talking just loud enough for the elf to hear, " _Short_ with the Head of Security."

Her eyes snapped to his and the giggle she was trying to hold in exploded from her mouth at the mock serious expression he wore, while his own eyes sparkled with mirth. It was a domino effect. Once she started laughing, his deeper tone joined in. They leaned against each other, their giggles only increasing at the look of outrage on the man's face.

"Enough!" he shouted, the tips of his pointed ears burning red.

They tried to sober up. And Rose would have been able to. Had the Doctor kept his mouth shut.

Instead, he choked then said, "I do apologize. We weren't trying to belittle you and your authority."

The elf’s eyes blew wide and the red from his ears, spread across his entire face.

Rose burst into another fit of giggles, the Doctor’s comments and the elf’s expression too comical for her to handle.

“You two obviously have no respect for the law and therefore I have no choice. You’re under arrest.”

“We’re what?” the Doctor half snorted, pulling away from her and allowing her to stand on her own.

“Toy soldiers!” the elf barked over his shoulder.

They looked around in confusion, only to find several life sized toy soldiers, fake cheerful expressions painted on their faces, marching in their direction. The locals all passed by without sparing the commotion a second glance.

“Detain them and then take them to the Gingerbread House." The elf took a step back as the soldiers closed in around them. "I’ll see what the _boss_ wants done with them.”

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me,” Rose grumbled as shiny cuffs were placed around her wrists. “The Gingerbread House? How are we supposed to find Jack now?"

"Jack Harkness is going to have to wait," the Doctor said loudly, talking around the you soldier that had pushed its way between them. "I'm sure he'll understand."

"Hold on. Did you say Jack Harkness?" The shorter man moved directly in front of the Doctor, a hungry gleam in his eyes. "As in _Captain_ Jack Harkness?"

"Well," the Doctor said, tilting his head and drawing the word out. "He's not really a Captain. More of a--"

"That's not of importance. Do you know this man?"

"You know Jack?" Rose burst out, trying to maneuver her way into the conversation. "How?"

"I'll be asking the questions. And you need to learn your place," he growled. "I'm sure the boss will want to speak to you, in light of this new information. Take them away."

"What kind of place is this?” she grunted, struggling futilely against her restraints.

“No idea,” the Doctor replied, his own pair of cuffs shining on his wrists. “But I bet you all the bananas on board the TARDIS, that “the boss” is Santa.”

Rose snorted as they were escorted down the street. The whole idea was ridiculous. This whole place was ridiculous.

“Gonna find out who’s naughty or nice,” the Doctor sang from beside her. He whistled the tune for the rest of the walk.

…..

They had been taken to a large building that from the outside looked exactly like a gingerbread house. It was a ginger brown with windows trimmed in white shutters and the door was white with a bright pink handle. Large colored orbs in various colors, designed to look like gumdrops, were placed in lines across the building. It looked rather cheerful from the outside.

The inside in fact was just as bright and welcoming as the outside. Light fixtures that mimicked candles were systematically placed so that no space harbored a shadow. 

Even the jail cell she had been shoved into had a certain chipper feel to it. If she stood with her back to the door she could almost pretend she was in a hotel room. A small one, but a hotel room none the less. There was a small twin sized bed shoved in one corner, covered with a crimson blanket and golden pillows at the head. An oak desk sat against the opposite wall, a matching chair neatly pushed in. She didn't feel like exploring the drawers.

Turning around, she stared frustratingly at the silver bars that made up her door. Caging her in.

"Don't they know you can't have silver doors if the room is trimmed in nothing but gold?" she said with more venom than she felt, toward the decorators at any rate.

"Now, Rose," the Doctor's voice came from the cell beside her. "I doubt insulting the color choices is going to get us out of here any faster."

"You would know."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You!" she shouted. "Always insulting other species. Can't keep your gob shut for--"

"My gob would have been shut, well not shut maybe...but otherwise occupied at least, if shorty would have just let me do what I had wanted to do in the first place. And, for what it's worth," she heard him exhale and something thunk softly against metal, "I am sorry."

She smiled to herself and closed the remaining distance to the bars, resting her head against one of them and gripping two others with her hands. "I know. And I suppose, it wasn't all your fault. It's just...Doctor, this place. It's so... _weird_. And no public displays of affection? Can you even imagine Jack coming here?"

"Honestly? No. I'm still not even sure where here is."

"I thought you knew everything."

"You know better than that. Just don't tell anyone else. Maybe we'll find out when we get to talk to Santa."

"I refuse to believe that Santa would be in charge of--"

"Alright you two delinquents, the big guy wants to see you."

Rose craned her neck as the elf who had arrested them earlier strode down the hall. He stood where she presumed both her and the Doctor could see him clearly with his hands on his hips and his chest puffed out.

"If I let you two out and keep the cuffs off, can you promise to play nice?"

"Yes," Rose replied quickly, before the Doctor could say something contrary.

"That means no running. No mouthing off. And absolutely _no_ touching. At all." He looked between the two of them with a stern expression. Rose nodded her agreement. The elf crossed his arms and stared in the Doctor's direction.

"Scout's honor," she heard him pledge. She fought to keep a straight face. At least he was making an effort.

"Any funny business, and I'll make sure you regret it." After an over dramatic pause, he moved to unlock their cell doors. He led the way down the hall and she followed directly behind.

She could sense the Doctor close behind her, but not too close. Something sharp pinched her bum. She jumped, holding in a yelp and looking over her shoulder. The Doctor winked at her. She gave him what she hoped was a stern look then turned back around.

Her back prickled in anticipation as his body came closer. He whispered quickly in her ear before drawing away again, "A pinch for good luck."


	6. I Was Only Saying Hello

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta'd, all mistakes are mine. If you've ever seen The Santa Clause 2...just...keep it in mind as you read. XD

There was a sleigh, of all things, waiting outside the jail for them. The ride from the Gingerbread House to their destination was distinctly unpleasant. Their keeper sat smugly between the Doctor and Rose, proud that he was keeping them from touching. At least the little creep wasn't actually a creep in that sense, the Doctor thought. The elf kept his hands in his lap and maintained more distance from Rose than from himself.

He still couldn't identify where they were at. He swept his eyes over the surroundings as the sleigh carried them onward. On the surface, this place appeared to be a wintery Christmas wonderland. Look a little deeper...and things were off. Very off. Like they had turned Christmas into a mindless job. What was the point of Christmas if you took it too seriously?

And there was a suspicious lack of females.

That might help explain part of the aversion to public affection. Or not...depended on how the culture reproduced and felt about same sex couples.

He logged all his cultural observations away in the back of his mind as they pulled up in front of a large castle. As with everything else in this mysterious town, the outside appeared full of holiday cheer. It was a shimmering gold with spires trimmed in red and green that reached toward the sky. A light dusting of snow gave the illusion of the building being sprinkled in powdered sugar. They exited the sleigh one by one before heading up the grandiose stairs to the large red door.

As they entered, they walked side by side with the elf walking just in front of them. His eyes swept the cavernous hallway. Empty. They could easily make a run for it. Their longer legs would far outpace the one solitary elf. He turned to look at Rose, to get her attention and give her some cue as to when to flee.

He snapped his jaw shut, remembering why they were here in the first place.

Bloody Jack Harkness.

Rose's eyes were in constant motion, seeking out any sign of the other man. There was a small twinge of jealousy in his hearts, but rationally he knew she was only acting out of concern for a friend. She would be doing the same for someone she had just met if the situation called for it. Her compassion for others was just one aspect of why he had been drawn to her from the start, why he had fallen in love with her. A thought occurred to him that she probably would not have been nearly as calm had it been him she was searching for. He knew he wouldn’t be. Heaven help anyone who tried to separate them.

He ground his teeth. Their captor had been glancing back at them every so often, making sure they were keeping an adequate distance apart. Even though his thoughts had rambled on, the Doctor had been calculating the intervals between the checks. Right on track, the elf glanced back as they rounded a corner.

As soon as the elf's head was half way facing forward again, the Doctor quickly grabbed Rose's hand. He only held it for an instant, an instant in his mind that was far too short. Just long enough to squeeze and get her a message.

_We'll find him._

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, giving him a small smile.

Then his hand was dropping away, his fingers curling around cold, empty air.

He decided he quite disliked this place. Not just because it appeared to be ruining Christmas. But any place that prevented him from holding Rose's hand didn't deserve to exist. While yes, he had become rather fond of the other _activities_ they had discovered almost a year ago, and especially fond of the sounds she made during said activities, he could keep himself under control if need be. Barely. But it could be done. Hand holding, however, was how they had started. The sooner they got out of here, the better.

The elf paused for a brief moment at a door that was cracked open. The Doctor noticed the deep rise and fall of his shoulders before he pushed the door open and lead them inside.

The room was done in a shiny cherry wood, the overhead beams painted with green swirls. Toys, books, and paper littered the shelves and every available surface. A large, rotund man stood at one of the book shelves with his back to them. His hair was white, subtle silver streaks shooting throughout the strands. He wore a bright red jumper and velvet maroon trousers that were held up with a pair of suspenders. The outfit was completed with a pair of sleek black boots, red and white striped socks peeking out of the top.

"Sir, I have brought them," the elf announced.

The man whipped around, an overly enthusiastic grin plastered on his face. "Ho! Ho! Ho!" He drew each syllable out, long and deep. His beard was white like his hair, his green eyes sparkled, and his cheeks were exceptionally rosy.

The Doctor smiled in spite of himself, giddiness rising in his chest. Bouncing excitedly, he turned to Rose.

She shook her head in exasperation, laughing lightly. Whether at him or at Santa, he wasn't sure. "You have got to be joking."

He made a happy sound in the back of his throat, a grin encompassing his face.

"We have some things to discuss. It has come to my attention that you two," Santa (he refused to believe it was anyone else) paused, swiveling his head in an almost toy like manner to fix both of them with a stern glare, "Have found your way to the naughty list."

"I'm sorry, hang on. Before we clear up that-=that misunderstanding, my friend here..." the Doctor moved closer to Rose, meaning to grasp her arm but thinking better of it at the last moment. He jerked his thumb at her instead. "I don't believe my friend here knows who you are."

"Why, I'm Santa," the man barked, taking a step towards Rose. He placed his hands behind his back and leaned toward her. "Ho. Ho. Ho." Again he drew the sounds out, making the greeting sound more threatening than cheerful. Straightening up with a snap, he grinned widely for a moment. "My name, is Chris P. Kringle. But--"

"Chris _P_?" the Doctor asked innocently, sharing a gleeful glance with Rose who was fighting a smirk.

"Yes, but, as I was going to say, you can just call me Santa. Are we clear?" The plastic grin appeared back on his face, too much teeth showing and way too wide.

They both nodded, not trusting themselves to speak.

"Now," he snapped, walking around to sit behind his desk, "About this naughty business."

"All just a great big misunderstanding,” the Doctor assured him.

"I'll be the one to decide that. Let's see..." he trailed off, putting a pair of half moon spectacles on his face and leafing through some papers. "Ha! Here we are! Public indecency, disrespect for the law and harassing an elf."

"Again, just a misunderstanding. We were just sort of passing through really. Not even sure where here is to be honest."

"What? Why this is the North Pole! Capital city of the great planet Noel!"

"I see,” he replied slowly. He didn’t really. The name didn’t sound familiar. He’d have to think about it more later, he was bound to have down time at some point. Especially if they shoved them back into their cells.

"What are you doing passing through a location you don't even know?" He slammed his hands down on the desk. "It doesn't make any sense!"

"Ah, well…” the Doctor placed clasped his hands behind his back and tilted his head, “I'm a terrible driver."

"The worst," Rose supplied.

The Doctor pouted at her, continuing on absently. "And we were sort of...looking for a friend."

"Friend you say?" Santa asked.

"It's not important," he waved his hands dismissively, realizing his mistake too late, "You don't need--"

"They're friends with the great offender," the elf chimed in.

Santa's head twisted to look at him, his eyes widening and his cheeks turning impossibly more red. "What?! Harkness?"

"Yes."

"Hang on, I wouldn't exactly say we're friends." The Doctor stepped forward, holding up a finger. This was not good, very not good. "More like very distant acquaintances."

"But you do know him?" Santa gave him a suspicious glance.

"Unfortunately," he muttered then shrugged his shoulders. "Although, maybe it's not the same man."

"Doctor," Rose hissed.

"Alright, alright. Yes. We know him."

"This friend of yours is my prisoner. What business do you have with him?"

"Prisoner?" Rose asked. "What did he do?"

"That's private!" he barked, spittle flying from his mouth. Rose shot the Doctor a worried glance as Santa took a calming breath. "But I can tell you it involves a long list of public indecency charges."

"Yup. That'll be Jack," the Doctor grumbled. Rose stepped closer and elbowed him in the side. "What?" he whispered. "You know it's true."

"So how do we, um, go about getting him...released?" Rose asked, fighting a smile.

"Released? RELEASED!?" Santa banged his hands down on the desk again, like a child throwing a tantrum. "You don't!"

"There must be something we can offer in exchange? Something we can do?"

Santa opened his mouth, but the elf had shot forward to whisper something in his ear so he remained silent. As the elf pulled back, they wore matching wicked grins. He folded his hands atop the desk. "So, what are you _willing_ to do?"

"Anything," Rose replied.

"Now, Rose," the Doctor began, stepping directly behind her. He placed his hands on her shoulders, but bit his tongue and removed them immediately upon the look flashing in the elf's eyes. No point in making them more angry.

"Well?" Santa pressed, looking between the two.

The Doctor looked down as Rose turned to face him. She looked at him with warm, pleading eyes. He sighed heavily and brought his attention back to Santa.

"Anything," he grumbled.

"Well! Santa may have an idea!" the man bellowed.

The Doctor and Rose exchanged apprehensive glances.

"You two will be entered into our annual Reindeer Games. Win and I'll set your friend free."

"And what exactly are these Reindeer Games?" the Doctor inquired.

"Barnaby here can explain them to you."

"How do we know you even have Jack?" Rose turned back around, crossing her arms.

"Hmm," Santa pondered. "Fair point. You have five minutes!"

The elf, Barnaby, ushered them from Santa's office. He led them through several corridors to the lower levels of the castle. He proudly explained that only criminals that demanded Santa's special attention were kept here.

As they walked down, the Doctor could tell they were getting closer to Jack. He could feel it in the air. The sense that something was off, the way his skin crawled and his head began to ache. The desire to run grew steadily, a persistent voice beckoning him to give in. To snatch Rose's hand and tear back the other direction. If only he could hold her hand. He was sure she would be able to calm the frenzy whipping through his mind. Although...he had noticed the way she absently chewed her lower lip, a nervous energy radiating from her that only seemed to grow.

Exiting the bottom of a staircase, they had clearly come to the jail portion of the castle. The cells here were not the pretend cozy confines that he and Rose had. These were true jail cells. Iron bars and stone walls, no warm fuzzy feelings here. Barabas led them to a cell near the end of the row. The Doctor dropped back, not needing to see Jack in order to know he was there.

Rose's steps faltered and his arms shot out to steady her. She leaned against him for a moment, shaking her head as if she were trying to clear it.

"Are you alright?" he asked, looking down at her with concern.

"Yeah," she said through gritted teeth. "I just--"

"No touching!" Barnaby snapped from just ahead of them.

He shot the elf a dark look but gently pushed Rose into a standing position and let go. He saw her shoulders rise and fall as she took a deep breath.

Definitely something to file under urgent changes in Rose's behavior and bring up later. It could be nothing, just a brief (and odd) dizzy spell. Or it could be everything.

"Harkness," the elf barked. "Visitors."

"Finally decide to take me up on that offer, Barnaby?" came a smooth voice from the back of the cell.

"Stop it," the Doctor said out of some long forgotten habit despite the amusing look of shock on the elf's face.

Hands slammed into the bars and a face pressed against them. "Is that--Rose?" Blue eyes widened in surprise.

She waved and slowly approached him, looking him over. He didn’t appear to be seriously injured in any way, yet he looked considerably worse for wear. “You look terrible,” she finally said, stopping just in front of him. The Doctor continued to hang back, in no rush to get closer to the source of the pain in his head.

Jack looked Rose up and down then gave her a roguish grin. “You don’t.”

“Jack,” the Doctor said in warning as he moved closer, more to be nearer to Rose than anything else.

The other man’s eyes jumped to where he was standing. “So it is you. Figured if anyone would be here with Rosie, it’d be you. Nice face, by the way.” He paused and looked him up and down. “Body’s not bad either.”

“Body is mine, thank you,” Rose jumped in.

“Did you notice he’s a bit pretty this time?” Jack asked.

“I like it.” She turned and gave the Doctor a warm smile.

“More to the point,” the Doctor said, his return smile fading as he looked back to Jack. “What on Earth are you doing here?”

“Well, I was...wait...when is it? For you two I mean.”

“We know it was you, if that's what you mean," the Doctor responded.

“Know what was me?”

“You are the only one stupid enough to meddle with the time lines like that,” he snapped, going into full lecture mode. “Do you have any idea what you could have done? What kind of irreversible damage you could have caused?”

“Is this your way of saying thank you? Because it could use a bit of work.”

“You had no--”

“What the Doctor is trying to say is," Rose interrupted, narrowing her eyes at him before looking back at Jack, "Thank you, very much. We don’t know why or how...but thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“One more minute,” Barnaby ordered from behind them.

“Right so, we’re going to get you out of here. But we have to jump through some hoops first.”

“So you mind telling us _what_ you’ve done to get yourself in this mess?” the Doctor added.

“I was honestly just passing through. Couldn’t use my vortex manipulator because…” Jack’s eyes flicked between them. He was keeping something from them, the Doctor could tell that much for sure. “That’s not important. We can discuss that later, if you get me out of here. Point is, I was passing through, killing time. And I happened across three gorgeous ladies.”

“You didn’t,” Rose gasped.

“He did.”

“Like I said, I had time.”

“You apparently didn’t know about the rules here.”

“No idea. I was literally caught with my pants around my ankles.” He shook his head and laughed. “And found out after the fact that they were the big guy’s daughters.”

The Doctor groaned and scrubbed a hand down his face. No wonder Santa had been furious.

“That’s enough,” came Barnaby’s’ harsh voice. He ushered them out, Rose waving goodbye over her shoulder. “You guys can chit chat later. _If_ you do manage to survive the competition.”

Rose looked over at him, concern flashing briefly in her eyes.

He smiled widely, hoping to reassure her. “How hard could it possibly be?”


	7. Now, First Things First. Be Honest, How Do I Look?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta'd all mistakes are mine.

They had been escorted back to the Gingerbread House immediately after their brief visit with Jack. The irritating little elf had once again planted himself smugly between the two of them, effectively keeping the return trip silent. The Doctor had barely gotten him to answer any questions about the competition they were supposedly going to enter.

He hadn’t even gotten to tell Rose a proper goodnight.

They were ushered to their respective cells, given a plate of surprisingly decent food and then it was lights out.

He lay on his back in the small bed, staring at the ceiling. They had been imprisoned before, that was nothing new. But usually they were able to share a cell. And the few times they hadn’t been able to had been before the shift in their relationship. He tried to relax, chastising himself for becoming so dependent on her presence for sleep or at least the ability to rest. He was a Time Lord for Rassilon’s sake. Sighing in frustration, he rolled over and faced the wall. Wondering how Rose was doing on the other side and thankful that the wall was gold and not stark white.

…..

Rose slept terribly through the night. She tossed and turned. Her body warring between knowing that she needed rest and frustration that the Doctor lay on the other side of a bloody wall. She was beginning to think that Jack owed _them_. Knowing that wasn’t entirely true or fair, she faced the wall and drifted into a restless sleep.

…..

The next morning signaled the beginning of the vaguely described Reindeer Games. All the Doctor really knew was that it was held every year and that it was some sort of competition. And that once every hundred years, couples were allowed to enter and compete for a chance at being allowed a union. How ridiculous.

He got up and stretched, then walked to the bars. “Rose?” he called quietly.

There was a shuffling from the other side of the wall. “Yeah?”

“How did you sleep?”

“Bloody awful. And how long do we have to wait for some food?” she complained. “You?”

He was thankful she couldn’t see the small smile playing at the corner of his lips. Even in a foreign land, Rose was not a morning person. “I didn’t. Sleep, that is.”

“Did you even try?”

“Um, I...sort of.”

“Sort of?”

He huffed. “I did try, even though I didn’t really need it. I’ll be ok for awhile yet. But...I couldn’t.”

“Worried?”

“No, not exactly.”

“Then what’s the matter? Thought you could sleep anywhere.”

He could hear mixed emotions in her voice. She knew what the reason was. He knew she did. But she wanted him to voice it. It was a human need really, to be constantly reassured that the way someone felt about you remained true. That was alright. This body in particular was a little more human than he would ever admit to anyone. Except Rose.

“You’ve ruined me, Rose Tyler.”

“I love you too,” she giggled.

“Rise and shine you two--oh." Barnaby marched into view. "Very well then. Your breakfast is on it’s way down. In the meantime, I suggest you change and get ready for the games.”

“Change? Into what?" the Doctor snorted. "We only have the one outfit.”

“I thought you might. That’s why I’ve brought you these.” The smug little bastard pulled two parcels from behind his back, shoving one at each of them.

The Doctor fumbled with the item, which was an obnoxious shade of red. The bundle fell apart and a pair of pointed shoes fell to the floor.

“No. Absolutely not. No. I refuse to wear...this. It’s...no.” He dropped the clothing as if it were infected, scowling at the lump it formed on the ground.

“You _will_ wear them or you will not compete.”

“Then I guess I would like to simply be released in order to get away from this insane place.”

“Doctor, think of Jack," Rose pleaded.

“Jack is not the one who will be wearing this...this...atrocity. No, there’s no way.”

“Please.”

He sighed and crossed his arms. He looked up to find Barnaby watching him with amusement. “Oh come on, there is no way that this will even fit me. Rose might be able to get by, but the tallest elf here probably only comes up to my shoulder. Maybe. No way.”

“They are made specifically for your respective measurements.”

“What? How?”

“We are _elves_ ,” he said pointedly. “Now, will you compete? Or is your friend’s life forfeit?”

He shuddered and shook his head. “I can’t believe I’m doing this. Just please tell me there aren’t going to be any pictures.”

“The event is broadcast across the entire nation.”

“Of course it bloody is.”

The Doctor opted to wait till _after_ his meal to change into the abomination that would apparently pass for clothes in this competition. He grumbled the entire time he changed, hoping that they had gotten his measurements entirely wrong and that they would have to let him wear his suit.

Securing the black belt with the gaudy golden buckle at his waist, he was left to concede that they had actually measured correctly. He didn’t need a mirror to know he looked ridiculous. The red tunic covered his arms, fitting a little more snug than he would like, and was barely long enough to cover the important bits. White fuzzy trim itched his wrists and neck. The fact that he was wearing red and white striped tights did little to assuage his coverage concerns. He was wearing bloody tights. _Him_. The shoes didn’t help at all. They curled down just above the ankles and the toe curled up and in, but thankfully didn’t end in a bell.

His hat however, did. An obnoxious, golden, jingling bell.

He groaned and wished for a black hole to appear in the middle of his cell and suck him into oblivion.

“Does that dying sound mean you’re done?”

“I look ridiculous. Frightening. Hideous. If your mother saw me now, I’d never hear the end of it.”

“Oi, you aren’t the only one dressed up like an elf.”

“But Rose,” he whined. “I am a _Time Lord_. I--”

Footsteps came down the hall. “Hope you two are decent, it’s time to go.” Barnaby let each of them out of the cell, running his eyes over the Doctor to make sure he was wearing the appropriate attire before opening the door.

He stepped out into the hallway, ignoring the elf’s smug look, and his jaw dropped.

Rose’s outfit was identical to his in every way. Except she looked _amazing_. Her hair was down and the clothing fit her perfectly.

“That bad?” she asked, catching his expression and smoothing out the excess length of her tunic that made up her skirt.

“Rose...you look...wow.”

She arched an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Really,” he breathed.

“That’s enough,” Barnaby said, moving between them. “Let’s get moving.”

Even though he had wanted to take up the rear, for purely scientific reasons of course, he found himself walking between Barnaby and Rose.

“For the record,” Rose whispered close behind him, “Your bum looks amazing in those.”

He preened. Maybe this ridiculous outfit wouldn’t be so bad after all.

…..

They were ushered into a light blue room with eleven other pairs, all elves of course. Santa stood on a raised platform at the front of the room. Two elves dressed in hues of yellow circled the outskirts with cameras. Being taller than everyone else, Rose and the Doctor hung near the back.

“Listen up,” barked Santa. “Before we begin, we’re going to go over some rules. I like rules!”

“Does the way he talk weird you out?” Rose whispered.

He swept his eyes over the room, making sure Barnaby was far enough away before leaning towards her. “You mean the way he’s constantly yelling and overly enthusiastic about things no one should be enthusiastic about?”

“Yeah, that.”

“Quiet in the back," Santa shouted.

The Doctor and Rose shared a look and then created a bit more space between them.

“Now, the rules! Just because this year happens to be the year where you can compete for a chance to form a union, does not mean that the other rules go out the window. Some touching may be required to complete a task. However, any touching deemed excessive and inappropriate will be punished, up to and including disqualification! Are we clear?”

There was a general murmur of agreement.

“Wonderful! Now! The annual Reindeer Games will consist of twelve different tasks to be completed on the twelve days leading up to Christmas. As you should know, they will be based on the ancient Christmas song “The Twelve Days of Christmas”. In--”

“Um, yes, um, excuse me.” The Doctor waved his hand in the air.

“What?”

“You do know that the song, in it’s origin is actually about the twelve days _after_ Christmas and not the twelve days leading up to said holiday?” He grinned, hoping that would somehow soften his inquiry.

“Doctor,” Rose warned through gritted teeth.

“You do know that I can disqualify you simply on the basis that I don’t like you?”

The Doctor’s smile faltered. “Right, fair enough.”

“As I was saying, each day will see the elimination of at least one team. Adjustments will be made as needed.”

“What does that mean?” Rose asked.

“Search me,” the Doctor replied.

“I’d love to, but I’m pretty sure the only thing that I’ll find on you at the moment will get us automatically disqualified.”

He looked at her with a puzzled expression, then remembered his current attire as her meaning sunk in. “Minx,” he whispered. He wondered if they’d be able to keep their hands off each other throughout this entire ordeal. Chances were so far not stacked in their favor.

“If there are no more questions or stupid comments from the back, I will move on to today’s event.” Santa clasped his hands behind his back and surveyed the room, lingering on the Doctor’s face as if daring him to speak.

He had a great deal he would _like_ to say, but bit his tongue and rocked back on his heels. He grimaced at the tinkle of the bell on his hat. Once this was over he could give Santa a talking to.

“Day one! Upon exiting this room you will find yourself in the arena where most of the games will be held, depending on the task that needs completion. Today it is set up with twelve very tall trees. Your objective, to create an acceptable partridge costume for one member of the team. You’ll find the necessary supplies at the base of the tree. Said team member must then climb to the top of the tree and eat the lone fruit you’ll find there. We will leave it up to you to arrange yourselves in an orderly fashion. Once the silver bell rings, you may begin!”

“That means clear out!” an elf in silver from the front chimed in.

The door on the other side of the room opened and the Doctor and Rose allowed the others to leave before bringing up the rear.

“So who’s--”

“You are," she stated, her tone suggesting there was no room for argument. If she thought he was going to dress up like a bird without putting up a fight, with what he was already wearing...she was out of her mind.

He cleared his throat and spoke rationally. “I think that, as a team, we should discuss this. Do you even know what a partridge looks like?”

“I know it’s some sort of brown bird."

“Precisely my point,” he stated as they exited the door into the arena. They found the last tree available, bags of feathers and other odds and ends arranged around the base of the tree.

“And _my_ point is…” she trailed off, pointing to the tree.

“The tree? What about it?”

“You do see how high it is, yeah?”

“Yeah…” he already knew where she was going with this. And he wasn’t liking it.

“You are a much better climber than I am. You--”

“You were a gymnast!”

“Yeah, gymnast! Not a bleeding lumberjack!”

He blinked, not sure if he was supposed to laugh or be insulted.

“You’re taller than me and your limbs are longer. Not only does that make you a better option over myself, that gives you a huge advantage over the competition.”

He opened his mouth to argue, but found her logic sound and snapped it shut again.

“Besides,” she said, stepping closer and smiling up at him with a tongue touched smile, “You look much better in brown.”

He was struck with the notion that it had been a very long time since he had kissed her. The almost kiss before they were thrown in jail very much did _not_ count. And she was simply standing there, with her tongue teasing him and just begging to tangled with his.

A loud and clear bell chimed through the arena, breaking him of his train of thought. She shook her head, her mind apparently wandering down the same path that his had taken. The same path that would certainly get them disqualified.

“So…” he started.

“So, tell me what to do to make this costume as accurate as possible.”

“Rose--”

“Nope, no arguing. You know my logic is perfect and besides...you also know that I am very good at following directions.” She gave him a sly smile and batted her eyes. His mind went to several months ago when they had discovered role playing and how exceptional she had been at following his instructions.

“You’re going to have to stop teasing me like that,” he growled. “Or you will only have yourself to blame if we end up disqualified for excessive touching.”

“On that note, I will be better able to keep my hands from wandering as opposed to say...you.”

“Fine," he grudgingly agreed.

Twenty-five minutes, 24.2 seconds and one completed partridge costume later, the Doctor was nearing the top of the tree. He had spent the entire climb up complaining. About the tightness of the elf outfit. About the humiliation of having to wear what was essentially a leotard over said already ridiculous outfit. About the utter stupidity of having to dress up like a bird. About Rose’s hands teasing him but never quite touching him where she really should be. About the way the feathers made it ten times more difficult to climb the bloody tree.

“What kind of nonsensical tree is this anyway?” he grunted, hoisting himself up to the next branch. One more to go and he would be at the top.

“Would you just...stop complaining," Rose called up from the ground. Had he been talking that loudly? "You’re almost at the top and then you can take the bloody costume off. If you win, maybe you’ll get lucky and they’ll let you burn it.”

“Ha! Fat chance there. I don’t think I’ll be making my way to Santa’s nice list." He gripped the next branch and prepared his feet to bounce upwards. “Really though. This tree is far too high. What’s the song say? A partridge in a…” the rest of the sentence died on his lips as he breeched the next level, his eyes landing on the answer to his question. He pulled himself up the rest of the way and sat on the branch, staring at the offending fruit.

“What?” he said as much to himself as to the object before him. He knew what it was, but his brain was refusing to acknowledge that this was what his life had come to.

“Oh god. It’s a pear isn’t it?” Rose shouted. “A partridge in a _pear_ tree. Of course it would be.”

“That’s it. I’m dying, right now.”

“Doctor, you’re going to have to eat it.”

“WHAT?” he shrieked.

“I said you’re going to have to eat it!” she yelled louder.

“I heard what you said, but there is no way--”

“Just eat the bloody thing!”

“But...but...but, Rose.”

“C’mon, think of Jack!”

He did think of Jack, which if anything made him want to eat the disgusting food even less. “...I’m not so sure I’m _that_ fond of Captain Harkness. Actually, I know I”m not. This is--”

“DOCTOR!”

“Oh, alright. But if I regenerate due to death by pear...you know who to blame. No guarantees that I’ll be this pretty the next time around.”

“Stop being so dramatic. You are NOT going to die from eating a bloody pear!”

“You don’t know that,” he muttered, reaching out and taking the pear in his hand. The corners of his mouth were turned down as far as they could without tearing the muscles in his face. He eyed the fruit as if it were truly made of poison. He wanted nothing more than to huck it to the ground. Taking a deep breath, he brought it to his lips and squeezed his eyes shut in horrid anticipation.

He bit down. Juice seeped everywhere, down his chin and the back of his throat. He forced himself not to gag, and simply swallowed the large hunk without chewing. He ate the rest in the same manner, swallowing large bite after bite. He flinched every time his tongue came into contact with the rough, stringy texture of the fruit.

An agonizing amount of time later (his time sense had stopped keeping track of how long it had been, it was that awful), all that remained was the core. He clamored down the tree, holding the core in his mouth. Once he reached the ground he spat the offensive thing at Rose’s feet and turned to the trunk of the tree. He ran his tongue in one long stroke up the bark, grateful for the smoothness even though he would have gladly accepted splinters if that meant getting a small degree of pear flavor out of his mouth.

“That’s disgusting,” Rose said, sour look on her face as he turned back to her.

“No, _that_ is disgusting,” he replied bitterly, pointing at the core on the ground and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

Rose shook her head and picked up the core.

“What I’d _really_ die to taste right now is covered in red and white stockings.” He gave her a heated stare. She shivered and licked her lips.

An elf in silver, presumably an official of some sort, walked up and saw the core in Rose’s hand. “We have a winner! Countdown for the rest of the teams to finish begins now!”

"I would imagine I can take this ruddy thing off now, yes?" the Doctor asked, reaching up to grab a handful of feathers.

"No!" the official yelled, rushing toward him with his arms outstretched. "No, no, no. The public wants to see you in all your glory. Besides, the judges need to check your costume for accuracy."

He blinked at the shorter man, trying to keep his irritation to a minimum. Rose shuffled nervously on her feet, as if she wanted to go to him but was afraid of the repercussions.

"This way, this way."

The elf led them out from the shade of the trees and into the bright sunlight. A cameraman (camera elf?) instantly appeared at their side. It was a bit odd. Having the camera follow their every move, yet hearing silence. No questions, no statements, no observations. Nothing.

Rose eyed the camera warily as they walked to where the judges tent was set up. "Are they airing this in real time?"

"Goodness, no." The official shook his head and laughed. "The whole thing is filmed and then checked twice for inappropriateness before being made available to the public."

"Right. So...how do the people know what's going on? I don't see any reporters, announcers, anything."

"That's added in at the end. Your voices will more than likely be dubbed over as well. If they deem having you speak at all to be necessary."

"What?” The Doctor blurted. This place just got more and more absurd. “You mean to tell me that anything brilliant I say, and let's be honest, that's pretty much everything--but all that brilliance...falls on deaf ears?"

"Probably best in your case," Rose teased, taking a risk and bumping his shoulder with her own.

.....

They made him sit in the itchy, hideous costume until all the other competitors had finished. Thirty three minutes of sitting uncomfortably until the final pair was brought to the judges tent. He almost felt sorry for the pair that ended up being eliminated. Almost. It was hard to feel anything other than contentment as he sat with Rose's hand firmly clasped in his, hidden from view by dull brown feathers.


	8. Are You Deducting?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta'd all mistakes are mine.

After the judging and rankings were announced (Rose and the Doctor had of course won), the costumes were at long last allowed to be removed. The Doctor breathed a deep sigh of relief. Rose couldn't help but giggle.

"What's so amusing?" he asked with a sparkle in his brown eyes, crooked grin on his face.

"You."

"Me?"

"Yeah. You're so relieved to get out of that mess of feathers that you actually look and sound more comfortable in that." She gestured the length of his body.

He looked down in confusion, then groaned. "I had almost forgotten."

“You really don’t look as bad as you think you do.” There was a certain degree of silliness to seeing him in such an outfit. But it also did a wonderful job accenting his chest and his bum...and if she caught the right view…

Before he could respond, an official was shouting out orders. The rest of the competitors were allowed to go off and wander the town or do whatever it was that elves did for fun. Or did they have jobs to get to? Rose didn't even get a chance to ask and find out. She and the Doctor were escorted back to the Gingerbread House for the remainder of the day, on the grounds that they were not to be trusted with being able to follow the no touching rule.

On one hand, she was offended. Treating them like they were sex-crazed teenagers. On the other, she knew it wasn't far from the truth. It wasn't like their relationship had become _only_ about sex. But two years of sexual tension was bound to need to be released somehow. And it was just the two of them. Neither of them saw a reason to hold back.

Back in her cell, she sighed in frustration, pulling the hat off her head and tossing it on the desk. Her other clothes were no where to be found. Instead, a pair of red silk jim jams were folded and resting neatly on her bed. She changed into them, laughing as she heard the Doctor enthuse of the change in attire.

After dinner, she felt surprisingly tired. She yawned and stretched her arms above her head.

"I heard that," the Doctor said.

"Heard what?" she asked innocently.

"The yawn. You're tired, get some rest."

"But you'll be up all night again won't you?"

"Most likely."

"I can't let you stay up alone."

"Rose, it's fine honestly. Would I love your company? Yes. But you're only human. The lack of decent sleep last night paired with the events of the past two days is bound to have made you tired. And while I did all the physical work today, I'm sure some degree of adrenaline was coursing through your body, the absence of it now leaving you feeling drained. Perfectly human response."

"Thanks," she said sarcastically.

"I only meant--"

"I know, Doctor." She sighed, letting the tension leave her body. "Now that your perfectly Time Lord response has made me dreadfully bored, I am very much ready to fall asleep."

"Wait a minute, that's--"

He stopped talking as she let out a chuckle and sat down on the bed.

"Oh. Very funny."

She laid down and pulled the covers over her, curling up on her side and wishing he was beside her. "Do you think all the games will be that...simple?"

"I don't see why not."

Something in his tone told her he wasn't completely convinced.

"But--"

"Rose."

"Yeah?"

"Go to sleep, love." His voice had dropped to barely a whisper and the sudden tenderness sent a pleasant warmth through her. Her limbs felt heavy and her eyes drooped closed. Within minutes, she was asleep.

.....

"Turtle doves," Santa called out the next morning by way of greeting. They were once again in the smaller antechamber, after breakfast and dressing in the same humiliating outfit. "Signs of peace and love. And since this is the year, you elves think you know what loves is, Day Two's event will test how well you know your...partner."

The Doctor glanced nervously at Rose out of the corner of his eye. She stared straight ahead, seemingly unconcerned.

"You will temporarily be separated into different rooms. There you will each create a charm to be placed around the ankle of one of the turtle doves. They will then be released into the flock that is currently in the arena. Once they have all been released, you will each have to identify and capture the bird with the charm your partner has created. While you may see your partner in the arena, and may even assist them in capture, you are _not_ to inform them if the bird they have selected is the correct one until after they have it in their possession." He grinned, no mirth in his eyes, and surveyed the room.

He shouldn't be worried, he really shouldn't be. But to a degree, he was. What if Rose couldn't catch the bird? What if she couldn't pick out which one was his? Or more than likely, what if he couldn't identify hers?

"Great! Now get moving!" Santa shouted.

The group was guided back out the door they had entered and then promptly divided into males and females. He tried to catch Rose's hand, in order to get a mental hint as to what she would be making. In a rare out of sync instant, she raised her hand to wave as his stayed low. Her pink lips mouthed "good luck" before she spun on her heel and went with her group.

Shit.

The Doctor spared a moment to worry about Rose's ability to make the charm. She had an innate ability to paint, and her drawing was rather impressive as well. But could she make something like this from scratch? Santa had made it sound like they would be making jewelry, something beyond her grasp.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the embankment of machines lining the wall of the room he had been ushered into. Walking up to a free one, he pulled out his glasses and placed them on his face. He had spent most of the night making a pocket for them on his tunic. Hadn’t planned on doing so. But when he noticed he had left them out on the desk instead of in his suit jacket...well, it gave him something to keep his hands and mind occupied while Rose slept.

He spent several minutes marveling at the technology and playing around with the various settings. They had endless template options and then a customizable one as well.

He had gotten so lost in simply playing with the machine that he had nearly forgotten his purpose. Until he looked around and saw only one other bloke still designing a charm.

Panic seized his chest and he scratched at the back of his neck, wracking his brain for _what_ exactly he should make. He finally opted to go with something simple and (hopefully) obvious, yet meaningful. His fingers flew over the buttons as he quickly created a silver charm composed of two hearts that had a single ruby rose wrapped around them.

"Ha!" he shouted triumphantly, slamming his hand on the "finalize" button. He looked smugly at the elf who was still working away.

"Your girl has to actually find and _catch_ the bird with the right charm on it before you win," said another elf, watching him with crossed arms.

"She will," the Doctor replied with more confidence than he felt. Muttering so that no one else could hear, he added, "I hope."

.....

All he could make out at first was a flurry of white feathers. The birds scattered as he and the ten elf males entered the arena. He assumed Rose and the other females entered as well from some other location.

A low mesh ceiling had been rigged up, only two feet above his head. He crouched down as he walked forward, his keen eyes discerning individual birds sooner than his elf counterparts. There didn't appear to be anywhere high up for the birds to land, only waist high wooden perches scattered around. He ducked as a panicked dove fluttered past his head.

Grumbling to himself about loud and clumsy elves, he headed away from the rest of them. He thought fleetingly about trying to find Rose, but brushed it off. Not that he wouldn't like to be near her, he very much would. But he was more worried about what she would think of watching him catch the wrong bird. Not that it would really matter. He would still have to verify that it was the right one in the end. But something about her watching as he made a conscious effort to go for one that she would know was incorrect put his stomach in unpleasant knots.

"Get yourself together Time Lord," he muttered to himself.

Far enough away from anyone else, he began scanning the legs of every turtle dove he could see. There were charms of every possible creation dangling from skinny ankles. Snowflakes, stars, crescent moons...a clown? Hopefully that was a random one the officials had thrown in. There were so many choices. How was he ever going to decide on _one_?

He began seeing meaning in every charm. A paint brush for her love of painting. An hourglass for time travel. A banana, for...well, him. Sort of. Everywhere he looked he saw a connection to Rose. The panic and terror that he would pick the wrong bird became overwhelming. His palms were sweating and it was a struggle to keep his breathing even. He paused, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath before opening them again.

He noticed a particularly chubby bird sitting on a perch only a few feet away. On it's ankle was a rose charm. He froze, tentative hope bubbling in his chest. Would she really be that obvious? He inched forward, making cooing noises as he debated with himself. He hardly registered the other doves walking across his path until he was nearly stepping on them.

Jerking back as they took to the air, his eyes widened.

One of the birds had a silver charm in the shape of a wolf. A wolf with golden eyes.

_Bad Wolf_

That was hers, he was sure of it. And it was getting away.

He chased after it, eyes upward and ignoring whatever lay on the ground in his path. If the other ruddy birds got stepped on that was their own fault. He slowed as the dove he was following lowered it's altitude, looking for a place to land. He decided it was best to wait for it to be on the ground, and hopefully still, before trying to actually capture it.

It fluttered to rest on one of the perches, it’s beady eyes watching him closely. The Doctor stood perfectly motionless, holding his breath and not even blinking. The dove turned away. He stepped forward, a light jingling causing the bird to turn back in his direction. He froze, internally cursing the elves and their stupid hats with bells.

His hearts thudded in his ears as he waited the dove out. Eventually, the bird looked away and settled down. He counted to three before approaching even slower, each second ticking by painfully clear in his mind. Deciding he would only be able to get so close before it noticed him again, he crouched down. Planning his path of trajectory, his muscles coiled in anticipation. Gritting his teeth, he leapt forward.

He landed with a thud, the air whooshing from his lungs. But that didn't matter. In his hands he held the bird with the wolf charm. He grinned widely, somehow knowing without a doubt that he had done it.

Now to find Rose. Well, wait for Rose most likely. After all, it hadn't taken him too long to capture the bird. Had it?

It took him a few minutes to locate the exit. The judges tent was set up fairly close this time. An elf couple sat on the ground just outside, talking to each other and ignoring his approach. He frowned. Not the first ones this time then. He wondered how long he would have to wait for--

"Rose?" he asked as he entered the tent.

She looked up from her seat, confused at first then smiling. She held a dove in her lap and was continuing to run a hand absently over it's feathers. It's eyes were half closed, as if it were actually enjoying the attention. The Doctor’s lip curled in disgust.

"Relax, it's just a bird." She got up from her seat, holding the dove carefully with both hands. "Guess we should go to the judges, yeah?"

"We could.” He hesitated, hoping he didn’t sound at all nervous. Or worried. Or doubtful. “Or we could, er, check first. But it's up to you really. Whatever you want."

"We'd have to go over to them anyway. Might as well get it over with."

He followed her to one of the judges tables, where several empty cages were set up. Well, one contained the pair from the couple who had already finished. He was doubting what he had been so sure of only moments before. If he got it wrong,would she be angry with him? Would she no longer want to be with him in that way? That was rubbish. It was just some stupid game on some forsaken rock that was world's away from her home. Why should she care about what their silly games determined?

She was a human female, that's why.

He was an idiot. Rose was so much more than just that. And she was above so many of those types of...things. Thank goodness.

“Place the birds in this cage,” an official instructed them in a dull voice. He looked bored and tapped his foot while they wrestled the birds through the opening. Once both were inside, he slammed the cage door shut. “Now please, verify that your partner did indeed catch the correct turtle dove. If not, you have the choice to forfeit or go in and try again."

He shared an anxious look with Rose before they both bent over and peered into the cage. He stood up straight almost immediately.

"That's mine! She got the right one. Knew she would."

Rose stood up slower and for a moment he panicked. An apology began to burst from his lips. She turned to him with a wide smile.

"He's got mine as well."

"I have?" He blinked.

"Yes, you alien git!"

He tossed his head back and laughed loudly, spreading his arms wide and bringing his attention back to her, still laughing. She squealed and jumped into his open arms, wrapping her own tightly around his neck. Relief washed through him, followed by a warmth as he reflexively returned her embrace. He held her close, breathing her in. The feel of her body against his and her scent filling his nostrils reminded the baser part of his mind that they hadn’t been in this close proximity for...awhile. He slid a hand up towards her shoulder.

Then he dropped her.

“Ugh, Rose what is on your shoulder?” He looked at the white slimy substance on his fingers, noting a stern looking official backing off yet keeping a watch on them.

The indignant look on her face at the abrupt ending to their hug, changed to a slightly sheepish one. She glanced at her shoulder.

“Oh, that.” She chewed her lip and scrunched up her nose. “I sort of got pooped on while I was chasing your bird.”

The Doctor groaned, staring at his fingers. “That’s...that’s disgusting.”

“Sure, coming from the man who licks things just to test what they are made of.” She snorted and placed her hands on her hips.

He looked up from his hand and smirked. “That’s not the _only_ reason I lick things. And if I remember correctly, you are always very appreciative of my...oral abilities.”

It was Rose’s turn to groan. “It’s going to be a long two weeks,” she said, shaking her head.

“Actually, it’s two days shy of two weeks. Only twelve days total, or should be according to Santa at any rate. Not to mention this is the second day, so really we only have ten days. Although, that first day--”

“Doctor.”

“Hmm?”

“Shut up.”


	9. You Were Useless In There. You'd Be Dead If It Wasn't For Me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta'd, all mistakes are mine.

After the Doctor had found something to wash up his hand, they walked outside the judges tent to wait for the other competitors to finish. They chose a spot away from the other couple who had already completed the day’s task. Mindful of the official who paced the area, they sat as near to each other as they could without actually touching.

It was infuriating at first, talking while keeping his hands in check. He poked at the ground, trying to determine _what_ exactly it was composed of. Anything to keep his mind occupied while Rose sat there...tempting him. With her eyes and her voice and her smile and those full lips. He shook himself, realizing his thoughts had wandered and he had missed what she said.

“Sorry, could you repeat that?” he asked, forcing his eyes to stay even with hers.

She arched a brow at him.

“Please?”

“So you weren’t listening?”

“Er…”

“You were looking right at me.”

“Yeah...I was um,” he scratched sheepishly at the back of his neck, “I was watching your mouth move. But got distracted and sort of...tuned out?”

She smiled softly. “You’re impossible,” she muttered, reaching over to brush something off his shoulder.

He looked at his shoulder then at the ground, frowning. He hadn’t seen anything on his shoulder. If there had been something there, he would have noticed. Not much blended in with bright Christmas red. He gave her a puzzled look.

Rose only grinned then continued talking.

It wasn’t until after she had adjusted his hat, brushed her knee against his thigh as she shifted to sit cross legged, and reached out to thoroughly, yet briefly, examine his belt buckle that he realized what she was doing.

Boy, was he thick.

Oh, but now, _now_ that he had caught on to her game...he was going to prove to be a willing and able player. That’s how they spent the afternoon, talking and sneaking subtle little touches. It reminded him of before, when they had pretended to just be friends. Finding excuses to touch and tease without crossing a line. Or finding how far they could push the line. His hearts skipped a beat every time she touched him. And if her hitch in breath was any indication, her single heart was doing the same.

They were so wrapped up in each other (quite figuratively this time) that they didn’t notice the elf that brought them each a plate of food until he was standing in front of them, clearing his throat.

“Oh, hello.” the Doctor said brightly. “What’s this then?”

“Lunch,” he replied stoically.

“Brilliant!” he reached up and took a plate, quickly passing it to Rose before taking the other for himself. “So are we still waiting for…” his eyes scanned the area, only seeing that four more couples had exited. “Ah, yes we are.” He looked down at his plate, contemplating which bite he wanted to take first.

“Thank you,” Rose said, elbowing him in the side.

“What? Oops, rude, again. Thank you!” he called to the elf’s back.

They sat in silence for a few minutes as they tucked into their food.

“So...two hearts and a rose?” she asked.

He froze, mouth full of bread. He looked up at her slowly, taking extra time to chew his food and think of an answer. He wasn’t entirely sure what she was even asking. He shrugged. “Seemed like a fairly obvious and appropriate choice.” He immediately regretted the words as her shoulders straightened and her eyes hardened.

“Why? Because my name is so easy to turn into a picture? And the only thing that you could come up with for yourself, almighty Time Lord, is two hearts?”

“Yeah, I mean...that’s the obvious bit I suppose. But that’s not why...I didn’t pick a rose surrounding two hearts just because it was easy.”

She set her plate down and crossed her arms, waiting.

He picked up a piece of fruit from her plate and examined it. “Because they’re yours,” he said simply, trying to keep his face neutral as he popped the morsel into her mouth. He failed to keep his face straight when she closed her lips around his thumb. Her tongue swiped the pad of his thumb quickly, causing the hormones that he had been keeping to minimum to surge through his body like wild fire. His hand hung in the air as he fought to prevent himself from launching on top of her.

Rose smirked but frowned as his hands fell back to his lap. “Sorry, that wasn’t fair of me. You’ve been really good at talking about your feelings out loud, even if it’s not really very often. It’s definitely an improvement. Sometimes though, I worry that you second guess...us.”

“No, no, no.” He really wished he could kiss her, show her exactly what she meant to him. But maybe that was part of the problem. He was always acting. And while yes, actions generally spoke louder than words. Sometimes, especially in light of things that could have been, it needed saying. “Never. I’m just...not very good at the whole, well, the whole relationship thing really. But I’m trying.”

“I know,” she sighed. “And thank you.”

The Doctor cleared his throat and tugged on his ear. While they had cleared up a lot of what had happened on the Game Station, some of the subject matter still made him...uncomfortable. On the surface, her choice in charm made logical sense. But, well, she had asked about his. Fair was fair. “Erm, a wolf?”

“Bad Wolf,” she said without hesitation. For a fleeting moment, he thought he saw gold flicker in her eyes.

“Why?”

“It’s what brought me back to you.” She pushed the food around on her plate, a cloud of sadness passing over her. He knew she was thinking of his previous incarnation. Her next words only confirmed it. “I do miss the old you, from time to time.”

“Rose, I--”

“I see him in you sometimes. I mean, I know he is you. We’ve been over that. But…” She trailed off, looking up but not at him. He held his breath, waiting to see exactly where she was going with her train of thought. “I dunno. It’s like, sometimes I can see him trying to break out. Probably sounds daft.”

His lips twitched at her choice of words, sounding much like his previous body herself. “It really doesn’t.”

“Really?” Her eyes slid back to him, hope and sadness shining from their depths.

“Course. It makes a certain sense if you think about it. Like you said, we’re the same person. So he’s...he’s still in there.” He brushed a strand of hair from her forehead, letting his fingers trace a path down her cheek. “Just, buried in a way I suppose.”

“Yeah.” They sat in silence, staring at each other without really seeing the other person. Each grieving for their own reasons. Rose stretched a leg out, kicking his foot. “Still, it’s not all bad. Being stuck with you.”

“I _am_ rather impressive. And dashing. And--”

“Rude.”

“Rude and not ginger, that’s me.” He winked and clicked his teeth.

“Maybe next time I’ll get lucky and you’ll be ginger and not rude.”

“You never know. The process is sort of tricky. Really this is the first time that I sort of got what I wanted. Maybe next time I could be ginger. Or I could end up old, again. Or--wait.” His eyes widened and his chest constricted from a fear he wasn’t aware he had. “Are you trying to get rid of me?”

“No,” she said, laughing. “Just wanted to see your reaction. I’d like to keep you as you are for while this time, yeah?”

“I’ll do my best.”

“Besides...I really don’t think there is anyway you could end up _not_ rude.”

He feigned offence, threatening to eat all of her food and leave her with nothing. She insisted that would only prove her point. Still, he refused to admit that she was right.

…..

It was evening before the other couples had finally finished. Every couple but one had managed to capture the bird with the correct charm. The pair who came in last were spared elimination due to the pair who had _each_ captured the wrong turtle dove. One could still hear them yelling at each other as they were escorted from the arena.

As a reward, their charms we cleaned (for sanitation purposes) and fashioned into necklaces. They were presented with them to give to their respective partners before the event officially concluded. Rose kept hers above her tunic and fiddled with it absently, a pleased look on her face. The Doctor tucked his beneath the fabric, closest to his hearts.

Something niggled at the back of his mind. And he scratched at his chest, the metal seeming to bite into his skin like razor sharp teeth.

That night he dozed off and on to the sound of a wolf howling in his mind.

…..

The Doctor woke the next morning feeling slightly groggy and agitated. He had decided to try and rest a couple hours, because who knew what these crazy elves were going to come up with next. All he knew was there was probably going to be a lot more bloody birds.

He remembered the wolf, stalking him in his sleep, and tossed back the covers. Why Bad Wolf was suddenly deciding to plague him again, he hadn’t the foggiest. The universe wasn’t in danger. Rose wasn’t in danger. He had removed that part from her, he was sure of it.

So why now?

He pushed it to the back of his mind, blaming it all on Jack Harkness.

Following the same basic routine of the past two mornings, he got ready for the day. Eating, dressing in his ridiculous outfit, and talking to Rose as best he could when she was on the other side of a wall. They were once again escorted to what he was calling the you’ve-got-to-kidding room.

“I hope you all have your thinking caps on today,” Santa said with false sincerity, glancing around the room with his creepy wide grin. “Day Three’s event is going to test your intellect.”

The Doctor’s ears perked up and he made a happy sound in the back of his throat, bouncing on the balls of his feet. Rose, standing at his side, shook her head.

“Today you will be teaching how to sing a Christmas carol.”

“What? To birds?” Rose whispered, looking up at him. He only shrugged in response.

“The pupils only speak the ancient language of French, you must teach them the carol in English. Each pair will receive a different song to teach. The final test will be having your pupils successfully sing the song to one of the judges. I don’t want to hear any complaining about the difficulty level of the songs. If anyone is caught whining, you will be disqualified. Those are the rules. I like rules.”

“I still say this Santa is on some sort of drugs,” Rose muttered.

He snorted, choking as he forced himself to remain silent.

“Now get lost!” Santa shouted, throwing his arms up in the air.

The group shuffled to the door that led to the arena, a wave of grumbles sweeping through the crowed. Today, rooms or large cubicles had been set up for the trial. They all walked in a line as the official who led them paused at each one, assigning a pair to a room. The Doctor and Rose were given one about halfway through. They looked at each other, excited smiles on their faces.

“Ready?” he asked.

“Ready.”

The Doctor swung the door open, allowing Rose to enter before him. He followed close behind her, nearly running into her as she stopped abruptly inside the room. He looked up from closing the door to peer around her. The wild thought to turn tail and run flashed in his mind. He would much rather be trying to teach _actual_ hens how to sing in French than what was currently in the room.

Three young women were seated on a long couch on the opposite end of the room. They were pretty in a conventional sense he supposed, nothing he was particularly drawn to. He had no idea where they had come from, as they were clearly not elves, and he really didn’t care. They were all varying degrees of blonde with their hair curled and piled in seemingly complex manners atop their head. Though none were the lovely shade of blonde that Rose was, and her shade was the best, even if it was from a bottle. They wore gowns that were simple, yet clearly finely made.

He had a terrifying flashback to Reinette and all the trouble _that_ had caused him, as the three woman looked up in unison. They gave Rose the once over and then narrowed their focus to him. He stayed put, behind Rose where he was mostly blocked from view.

He swallowed, wondering what her reaction was going to be. His mind came up with thirteen scenarios, none of them good. Should he say something or continue to wait her out? Which would make things worse for him?

“Right,” she finally said, turning to face him. “You go fetch the supplies from the desk and I’ll go meet the _students_. Go ahead and divide it up at the desk, and once you’ve brought it over I’ll start teaching them how to sing the song.”

He blinked at her repeatedly, shocked by her cool handle on the situation. She didn’t appear to be bothered by in the least. “Um, Rose...do you even, er, not that I doubt your ability to teach by any means, but,” he lowered his voice and leaned closer, “Do you even know how to speak French?”

“Yes.”

“Actual French? The officials will be able to tell if you aren’t _literally_ speaking French. Which, I’m fairly certain will be cause for disqualification. So--”

“I said yes, didn’t I?” she asked, the forced smile doing little to hide the bite in her tone.

He simply nodded, the flash in her eyes telling him that whatever the reason was for her somehow being fluent (or fluent enough) in French was not something to be discussed right then. She turned and walked over to the women and he took a second to observe the set up of the room before shuffling over to the desk and dividing up the supplies of books, paper, and candy cane pens.

He came over to the four women as they were all laughing. About what, he had no idea. But it was clear that Rose had already established some sort of rapport with them. Not that he was surprised. She could make friends with just about anyone. He looked at her affectionately as she stood up to introduce him.

“Ladies, this is the Doctor,” she said in perfect French, beaming at him. “He’ll be assisting me. And Doctor, this is Juliette, Gabrielle, and Sofia.” 

He smiled politely and nodded at each woman in turn, taking the opportunity to hand out the supplies. Once he was done, he whispered in Rose’s ear, “And what exactly will I be _assisting_ you with?”

“If forget how to translate a word, I’ll need your help of course.” She gave him a teasing tongue touched smile. “But for starters, you can bring over that black board.”

The Doctor watched in awe as Rose proceeded to teach the three women how to sing “O Holy Night.” She communicated with them in nearly flawless French, only having to ask for his help a few times. Something about that seemed off. When had she taken the time to learn it all? And how had she managed to learn _that_ much, _that_ well in a relatively short period of time? Rose was brilliant and smart, so it wasn't too far fetched. And she had mentioned intending on French being among her A levels. Still...

Mostly he watched in silence, writing things on the board as needed. He was oddly comfortable with this role reversal. Anyone else and he probably would have rebelled, insisting to be the one in control. But this was Rose. If anything, he felt a deep surge of pride at observing the woman she had become. He had only played a small part in her transformation, she hadn't needed help from anyone, yet he was glad for the tiny role he had played.

Exactly five hours later, Rose had the ladies singing the carol on their own for the fourth time. She came over and looped her arm through his, tilting her head up to look at him and worrying her bottom lip.

"Well? What do you think?"

“I _know_ it’s perfect.” He dropped a kiss to her forehead, pleased to see the faint flush in her cheeks as he pulled away.

The door burst open and they sprung away from each other. An official marched in with a scowl on his face.

“Are you ready?” the elf snapped.

Rose opened her mouth to answer, but one of the women hopped up from the couch and latched on to her arm. She furrowed her brow and looked at Sofia. “What is it?”

“What if we are not ready?” Sofia asked with concern.

Rose gave her a reassuring smile and placed her free hand over the other woman’s. “You three are going to be wonderful.” She turned to the official. “They are ready.”

Sofia returned to her place with the other two women. They stood in front of the couch, watching Rose with rapt attention as the official came all the way into the room and pulled a recording device out of a pocket.

The Doctor stayed back, out of the way. This was Rose’s moment to shine. She didn’t need his help here. She took her position in front of the women, head held high, and raised one hand. Her head swiveled around to look at him, puzzled expression on her face. With her other hand, she beckoned him to her side.

He furrowed his brow, bottom lip jutting out as he frowned at her, yet crossed the distance to where she stood.

“Together,” she said, answering his unspoken question.

His hearts felt like they would burst from his chest, her love and caring nature once more catching him off guard. He smiled and nodded. In unison, they signaled for the trio to begin singing.

Rose really had outdone herself. Not only had she managed to teach them the song in a language they weren't accustomed to, but she had taught them to do it with the occasional harmony thrown in. They really did have lovely voices. His smile grew wider the longer he listened.

And then it was over.

"Well done," the official remarked, clapping heartily with a genuine smile on his face. He moved to shake the women's hands, each one curtsying politely as he moved before them.

The Doctor didn't curtsy when the elf approached them. Neither did Rose. But they did accept his handshake and compliments with courtesy and shocked smiles.

"You have five minutes to wrap up and say farewell. Then, upon exiting the room, follow the signs to the judges tent. Someone will be timing you." The official tapped the side of his nose then exited the room.

The Doctor said a brief goodbye, nodding awkwardly at each woman. The trio all gave Rose hugs and wished her (and himself he supposed) the best of luck. Walking out the door, he and Rose followed the signs to the designated judging area. Most of the other competitors were already there. The Doctor was nervous about finishing so late in the game. That is, until he found out that time was not a factor in this event. Accuracy, enunciation, and overall pleasant sounding...ness, were the parameters this time.

They would be in the top three, no doubt about it.

Sure enough, half an hour later, they were announced as the second place holders. With all the commotion and muttering going while the results were called out, he was able to sneak a kiss on her cheek.

"Careful, that's twice in one day. Awfully risky." Rose's tone was teasing and light. She was too thrilled about their outcome to be seriously threatening him. And she should feel that way. After all, it was mostly her doing.


	10. Wait A Minute. What Are You Dressed Like That For?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta'd, all mistakes are mine. Bonus points to anyone who catches the inspiration for the...thing at the end.

"Rose?" the Doctor asked uncertainly, leaning against the wall near his cell door.

"Yeah?"

"Where did--or how..." He scrubbed a hand down his face, collecting his thoughts. "What I'm trying to say is, when did you learn to speak French?"

There was a pause, a hesitation so short he nearly missed it.

"I took some in school." In his mind, he could the crossing of her arms and the slight shrug of her shoulders.

"Ah." He waited for her to elaborate, and when she didn't he pressed further. "But not enough to be nearly fluent?"

"No."

"...so?"

He heard her sigh. "Do you really want to do this? Now?"

"I can see the cons of having this conversation, or guess them fairly accurately, in this manner. Where we can't see or...or touch. But I don't want it to linger until we get out of here either."

"Doctor, it doesn't bother me anymore. Honestly. We cleared that up ages ago."

"I didn't necessarily mean for your sake," he admitted softly. Rose was his source of strength, his reason to be better than he was. But she was also his weakness. Not only was he afraid he had hurt her, even if it was in the past, but there was another element, another factor eating at him from the inside.

"Oh."

"Im not angry or upset or...or anything like that. Of course I'm not, I have no right or reason to be. I just--"

"Yes," she interjected, "If you were wondering, it was right after Reinette. I was feeling a bit inferior and decided to brush up on some things. One of them being French."

His hearts sank and he turned, banging his head lightly against the wall. "You're not inferior. To anyone."

"Like I said, I know that now. We went over this. It's why the task today didn't bother me. I knew that I had no reason to feel threatened. No matter how pretty they were."

"They weren't nearly as _beautiful_ as you," he said truthfully. She still hadn't quite answered the question that bothered him the most. "But...how did you go about it exactly?"

"The TARDIS helped me."

"Do you practice often?"

"I--" Rose paused and the Doctor held his breath, pressing his forehead into the wall. "Come to think of it, no. Every once in a random while. But especially after last year, it wasn't really high on my priority list."

He turned the wolf charm over in his fingers, thankful she couldn't see the worry on his face.

.....

The next morning a pair of boots were dropped off in addition to their routine breakfast. They were a dark forrest green with thick tread on the bottom. They looked like they were intended for heavy duty hiking. Rose was less than thrilled.

"Oh! Excellent!" The Doctor crowed in his cell. "New footwear!"

"Doctor."

"Rose! Did you get them too? You must not have, you don't sound excited. Or did they give you a pair of those shoes from Rumba 7? The ones that you said felt like you were sticking your feet in--"

" _Doctor_ , I have the bloody boots."

"Oh. Then why do you sound so...so, er, not happy?"

She couldn't help but smile at the way he tried not bring attention to her usual morning crankiness. She had been feeling less of that lately, for whatever reason, but still had the occasional off day. "Did you stop to think about _why_ they gave us the boots in the first place?"

Silence.

"Erm, no. But Rose! They aren't pointy ridiculous elf shoes that make my feet look bigger than they actually are."

"You know what they say about big feet..."

"That they are bunch of wild ravenous animals. Which is just not true. And actually they prefer to be called Big Foots. Not fond of your human plural. Not really fond of that term in general to be honest. They'd rather--what's so funny?"

His off topic rant had dissolved her into giggles. She forced herself to take a few steadying breaths. He was so clueless sometimes. No, so _alien_. And she loved it. "I wasn't talking about Big Foot the alien, I was--oh, nevermind."

"But what were you--"

"You two better quit yapping and eat, you leave in 15 minutes," Barnaby shouted down the hall.

Rose heard the Doctor grumbling on the other side of the wall. No doubt complaining about their captors. She was cursing them under her breath as well.

What she assumed was fifteen minutes later, Barnaby was banging on her cell door as she was finishing up lacing her boots. "Yeah, yeah. I'm coming."

He shot her a dirty look but unlocked her door and stepped back, waiting impatiently. The Doctor was already in the hallway when she exited her cell, obviously still pleased with the new footwear. They walked in silence down the corridor, their heavy footfalls echoing much louder than normal.

She was surprised to see Santa and the other competitors waiting outside, several sleighs lined up and ready to go who knew where.

"Nice of you to join us," Santa called out as they made their way to the back of the group. 

Rose glanced at the Doctor, catching the dark look in his eyes and the twitch in his jaw. Knowing she wouldn't be seen, she gripped his upper arm and shook her head when his head snapped to her. She trailed her fingers down his arm, brushing lightly over the back of his hand. She could see as well as feel the anger seep slowly out of him.

"Day Four is a special treat for you. You get to go climb a mountain!" Santa held his mouth open, bobbing his head in silent laughter. "You'll be divided into four groups then taken to your assigned location. Once you've arrived, it'll be a race to see which pair makes it to the top and successfully summons the particular legendary bird that makes that mountain home. Any additional supplies will be provided en route. Now if you'll excuse me," he yelled abruptly and clapped his hands together, "Santa has to go drink some cocoa!"

"Wonder what they put in the cocoa," the Doctor muttered as Santa walked off.

Rose was sure he was on some sort of drugs, that may or may not be ingested through the cocoa he drank. Best to be safe and not drink it.

They were ushered into a sleigh with one other couple and surprisingly no chaperone. The official assigned to their group rode in the sleigh with the other pair. She didn't envy them at all, but she was hardly going to complain. Rose and the Doctor sat close together, hearing the warning that if the official spotted anything that even _looked_ like funny business from his seat in the other sleigh that they would be disqualified yet unable to resist the chance to be near each other.

The elf couple they rode with turned out to be not very pleasant company. They stared angrily at Rose and the Doctor for the entire trip, which thankfully wasn't very long. She didn't dare to hold the Doctor's hand, afraid that one of the elves glaring at her would immediately call out to the official. She took as much comfort as she could from simply being able to sit lightly pressed against his side. She tried to ignore pleasant tingle in her left side where they touched, knowing that dwelling on the feeling would only encourage her mind to wander to other things.

As the sleigh slowed to a stop, they separated a bit. Rose apprehensively looked up at the large snow covered mountain before them. Piling out of the sleighs, the three pairs formed a line and awaited instructions from the official as he pulled out several bundles from the sleigh. They were given long winter coats and gloves, a set of matches, and a small silver instrument that looked similar to a recorder.

“This is Mount Doaba," the official began, standing in front of the small group. "It is the home of the holy Kurrab bird. Once I give the signal, you may start your trek up the mountain. There are four paths that lead to the top, each team must pick one. At the top you will find a brazier and a set of instructions carved into an obelisk. Light the brazier and then play the indicated tune according to the directions. You must be careful. A wrong note may still summon the Kurrab, however, it may change his reception of you trespassing on his mountain. You may go choose your path. Good luck."

They pairs looked nervously at each other, this task clearly a bit more dangerous than any of the ones they've had to do this far. Slowly, they all moved forward to different paths.

"One more thing," the official called, standing in one of the sleighs. "If you find yourself in need of assistance, cover the second and fourth holes on your instrument and blow with all your might."

"That sounds a bit ominous," Rose said as they headed towards the path furthest to the right. She pulled her coat tightly closed, buttoning it shut.

"I'm sure it won't be nearly as bad as it sounds."

.....

The Doctor's statement turned out to be wrong. Rose should have known it would. He always seemed to jinx them when he said things like that. She wasn't sure whether to chalk it up to stupid optimism or blind stubbornness on his part. Either way, she was ready for this task to be over.

The climb itself wasn't so bad, the path had remained clear most of the way up. The cold however, was proving to be perhaps a bit more than Rose's body could handle. The thick coat and the hood fastened over her head didn't seem to be doing their job. It still felt as if the bitter wind was sweeping right through her, piercing through fabric and skin to chill her to the bone. She hadn't admitted as much, merely gritted her teeth and pressed on.

They had started out talking, speculating as to what this holy bird of ice and snow would look like. As their bodies, or hers at least, needed the oxygen more for the physical exertion, the chatting dwindled down to only necessities. The ground evened out and she shoved her hands into the pockets of her coat, no longer needing to use her arms for balance. It would only be a matter of time before the climb became uneven again, so she seized the opportunity to warm up her fingers.

Just ahead of her, the Doctor glanced back. She caught the concern he was doing a poor job of hiding in his eyes. He had been looking back more and more frequently. She smiled with as much reassurance as she could muster, flinching as her lip cracked.

Just before the ground inclined, the path appearing to weave between large chunks of ice, the Doctor turned around.

"Time for a break," he stated, waving a hand at a nearby rock.

"Do we have time for that?" Rose forced out, he throat feeling dry and scratchy.

"The top isn't much further away. Maybe 15 minutes, give or take depending on the terrain." He looked at her with hard eyes, daring her to argue. "So yes."

She licked her lower lip, tasting the iron tang of blood from where it had split open. "We don't know where the other teams are. I don't think--"

"I said it was time for a break," he growled, the wind ruffling his hair. Of course, _he_ hadn't bothered to pull his hood up.

"Oh? So because _you_ said so that means we have to do it?" she snapped. She knew was more angry with herself, but was unable to keep from lashing out. "Who put you in charge?"

"Rose, you need a break." He walked towards her, his eyes crinkling as he gave her a small smile. "Don't think I can't tell. And it's ok, we have the time. Just...five minutes?"

"Fine." She stomped around him, plopping down on the snow covered rock he had previously indicated. "I hate being human," she grumbled.

"Why would you say that?" He twisted around, watching her in confusion.

"Various reasons. Right now, it's the fact that we're stopping because my weak human body can't tolerate a little cold."

"This is hardly a little cold." He sat down beside her. "Yes, being Time Lord means this isn't bothering me to the same degree as it is you. And the elves, being of the Christmas variety, are probably a fairing a bit better than you as well. But you've actually done very well." He gave her an odd look. "Surprisingly so as a matter of fact."

"What's that mean?" The underlying worry in his voice told her that he wasn't trying to be insulting.

"Just that your body should have reached the beginning of a breaking point, oh, about an hour and fifteen minutes ago."

There was something he wasn't saying. And while that normally would have been cause for an argument, Rose didn't have the energy. And she wasn't so sure she honestly wanted to know. It would be encouraging old habits, but she opted to do what they had done in the past, gloss over it as if it weren't important. She smiled. "It's all the running we do."

He hummed, whether in agreement or not, she wasn't sure. His eyes fixated on her mouth and his brow furrowed. "Your lips are tinted blue."

"It's really cold," she said stupidly.

"Yeah..." His body turned, angling towards her. He placed a hand on the rock behind her as he leaned forward ever so slightly. Her breath caught in her throat and her heart raced despite the fact that she was sitting perfectly still.

It was silly, the way his gaze nervously darted between her lips and her eyes. It was also, incredibly adorable. Her stomach swooped as his nose bumped hers, as if they had never kissed before. Her lids fell shut as his lips brushed against hers, a teasing touch that vanished as he pulled back, almost shyly. She shivered from something other than the cold.

When his mouth next covered hers, she was ready. Tilting her chin to return the soft pressure so he wouldn't escape. They sighed in unison, warm air rolling down their cheeks. His tongue swept along her bottom lip, easing the tender flesh. Tingles shot through her body, setting nerve endings on edge as he kissed her softly. She gripped his jacket, needing to ground herself before she melted away.

There was a firm pressure at her lower back. His hand, pulling gently. She needed no other urging. Fumbling around their coats, she moved to straddle his lap, both his hands at her back to keep her steady.

A shrill sound pierced the air, causing Rose to pull back. She watched him closely as he tilted his head, listening. "Well?"

"Must have been one of the other teams...calling for help."

"You don't think they could be--"

"No. I highly doubt summoning the Kurrab is going to be that simple of a tune."

She chewed her bottom lip and fidgeted with the hood of his jacket. "You think they're alright."

"I'm sure they'll be fine. Are you, er, ready to get moving?"

"I'm all warmed up if that's what you mean."

He coughed. "We could..."

"No. Absolutely not. I am not freezing my arse off just to get some."

"You wouldn't have to get completely--"

"Nope." She hopped off his lap, laughing as he pouted. "Who knew you would get so grouchy after no sex for a week--and please do not tell me exactly how long it's been since the last time. I know you've been keeping track, but I wish to remain blissfully ignorant."

He shrugged then stood up. "What did you mean by...all that exactly? Well, the first bit."

"Nothing really. Just that...you know, I used to think that you didn't do...all that."

"Proved you wrong," he said with a smirk.

"And I'm glad you did. Now, let's go catch a bird."

.....

A short time later, they reached the end of the path and what Rose assumed to be the top of the mountain. They walked into a clearing, the ice towering high behind them while the edge of the open area led to a drop off. She walked as near the edge as she dared while the Doctor examined the brazier and obelisk that stood to the right. It was a gorgeous view with the snow stretching out in every direction, glistening in the sunlight.

"So have you figured it out yet?" she half teased, coming to stand beside him.

"Just about..." His fingers moved over the instrument as he stared at the writing. "Ha! Alright, Rose Tyler, prepared to be amazed." He lifted the silver object to his lips.

"You're doing it wrong."

"I beg your pardon?"

"I believe there is supposed to be...oh, I don't know...a fire first?"

He looked at her blankly, then laughed. "I was testing you."

She placed her hands on her hips and arched an eyebrow.

"Wanted to make sure the cold didn't affect your brain. Just looking out for you, that's all."

She just shook her head and watched as he pulled out the small set of matches. She held the instrument while he got the fire going with the second match.

"Now, I'm ready to be amazed." She handed him the silver object then wrapped her arms around her torso, shifting closer to the low fire.

"As you wish." He brought the instrument to his lips once more, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. The notes drifted into the air, clear and soft. The song was a haunting melody that brought tears to her eyes.

When it was over, she was overcome with emotion. She ran to the Doctor, throwing her arms around his neck and burying her face in his shoulder. She felt his arms, strong and steady, come around her.

The wind picked up, howling through the small clearing. It felt as if the temperature dropped even more and large flakes of snow swirled around them. It was like they had been transplanted into the middle of a blizzard. She clung tightly to him, afraid that she would get carried away.

"What did you do? Change the weather?" she shouted into his ear.

"It wasn't me."

A thunderous rustling filled the air, a steady pulsing whoosh of air. Almost like...wings.

"It's him. The Kurrab."

Rose turned into the wind, squinting against the barrage of ice and snow. A huge bird the size of a car was flying towards them. The flakes seemed to be coming from his enormous wings everytime he flapped them. She shivered as he fluttered to stop, landing on the edge of the clearing. He was ice blue, his feathers sparkling as if they were made of ice. The feathers on his stomach were white like the snow. He had a crest on his head that was a darker shade of blue, his long streaming tail shimmering in the same color. His beak and legs were grey. He was beautiful.

But the thing that held Rose's attention, were his intelligent red eyes.

_Why have you summoned me, travelers from the stars?_

She flicked her eyes to the Doctor. His jaw was set tight.

_Yes, little wolf. I am inside your mind._

His grip around her tightened, and the large bird titled it's head. It's eyes focused on the Doctor. She had the distinct impression that she was missing something.

_Do not worry. I will not pry. I only look enough to see your intentions. And while The Lord of Time bears many scars, it seems that he has a light to follow. I will give you my feather, golden goddess._

The Doctor set her down and urged her forward. She walked towards the bird, a tiny voice screaming at her to run. She had learned long ago in her travels with the Doctor to ignore that voice. That was the instinct ingrained in her, her primitive response to flee. She was only human after all. Not a goddess like the Kurrab claimed her to be.

 _Do not be so certain._ It twisted it's head, plucking a feather from its neck as she stopped just in front of it.

_What do you mean by that?_

She swore the bird's eyes twinkled with amusement. It inclined its head, offering her the shimmering azure feather. Slowly, she took the plumage from its beak running her fingers over the soft bristles.

 _All in good time._ Giant wings unfurled, making her stumble backwards. With one powerful stroke, the Kurrab lifted into the air. Before flying out of sight, its voice echoed two words in her mind.

_Bad Wolf._


	11. My Head Is So Stupid!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta'd, all mistakes are mine.

Rose sank lower in the large marble tub, letting the warm water cover her up to her neck. She was thankful they had given her the option of a bath after today's task. She had been able to shower every other day, but with a time limit. She wasn't sure if it was because of the nature of the day's task, the fact that her lips had been blue upon their return, or if it was a once a week thing that the timing had worked out in her favor for. Her cold, aching muscles didn't care anyway.

She tilted her head back, resting it on the lip of the tub, and closed her eyes. As her body relaxed, the knots gradually coming undone, her mind wandered back to what had happened on the mountain.

The Kurrab had called her a goddess. Which, at one time had been true. She’d been able to see past, present and future...the ability to manipulate time however she saw fit. But after the Doctor had removed the time vortex from her, she had returned to being plain old Rose Tyler. Which was fine. Traveling with the Doctor had helped her find a sense of worth and a confidence she probably never would have found had she stayed on the Estate. Most days she was more than happy being plain old Rose Tyler. Human. Not a goddess.

She had proved herself than a match for the Doctor. That was something Sarah Jane had seen long before she had looked into the heart of the TARDIS. Long before...

_Bad Wolf._

The Kurrab had called her that as well. Bad Wolf was no longer a part of her. The Doctor's reaction to the bird calling her "little wolf" was just a coincidence. Same with his observation that her body had withstood the cold longer than it should have. It had to be.

Right?

His face drifted into her mind. Dark brown eyes and the dusting of freckles that weren't always visible until you were up close. Silky, chestnut hair dotted with tiny flakes of snow. Smooth pink lips, the bottom one always in various stages of pouting. Even when he wasn't pouting, it was there...soft and inviting.

The kiss they had shared earlier replayed in her head, sending butterflies flurrying in her stomach. Her fingers ghosted over her lower abdomen, the water lapping gently at the edges of the tub with her movement. Arousal simmered in her veins. An ache pulsed between her legs as she skated her hand lower, imagining it was his hand. Wishing it was his long, talented fingers teasing her where she yearned to be touched.

Footsteps passed outside the door.

Rose groaned and pulled her hand away, stopping before she had even really begun. She was alone in here, for the moment, but didn't feel like finding out what the punishment would be for pleasuring oneself on this crazy planet.

Besides, she was fairly certain that the Doctor hadn't caved and had himself a good wank. They were in this together, mostly thanks to her insistence. She would hold out.

"If the sex doesn't literally blow my mind after this, I'll find a way to permanently kill Jack myself," she grumbled, sitting forward and smashing the button to drain the tub with a little more force than necessary.

.....

The Doctor hadn't slept at all that night. Didn't even try.

They hadn’t had to climb down from the mountain, thank goodness. After the Kurrab had flown off, he had pulled out the instrument and signaled for help. Rose had insisted that they could just head back down, but he had seen the blue starting to creep back into her lips. He didn’t fancy taking chances with her health. Within forty-five seconds, a candy cane striped helicopter of sorts had breached the clearing.

The flight down and the following sleigh ride back to the Gingerbread House had been spent thinking of nothing but how he would punish the whole bloody planet if Rose didn’t get warm soon. The fact that they had come in first place did very little to calm his agitation. Well, it had done nothing really. 

He had been offered a bath, same as Rose, but opted for the shower instead. He scrubbed his body clean with more vigor than was prudent then paced restlessly in his cell until Rose returned from her bath.

Only pestering her enough to be put at ease that she was feeling much better (and warm, that was important), he wished her good night and shut his mouth. He knew her body would need the rest and refused to make her stay awake with him and his concerns.

He lay down on his bed, above the covers, with his hands folded on his chest. His thoughts rushed from one worry to the next. He changed his mind hundreds of times in regards to one, Rose Tyler.

First, he had reverted back to his cowardly self and decided that he really was no good for her and they needed to call it quits. She needed to go back to the Estate with her mum and he needed to stay as far away from her as possible. If that meant piloting the TARDIS into a super nova, so be it.

Thankfully, he had matured a bit (or so he liked to think). He was able to catch himself making stupid and rash decisions in the clutches of panic. Not only would splitting up not solve anything, it was also something he had wanted to believe he had overcome. Running from Rose and what they had because he was too afraid to face his own feelings or the complications that came with...well, him...was not an option.

In the end, he decided he was an idiot.

After congratulating himself for stopping that particularly stupid train of thought, his mind jumped to the next item of business.

Sex. Wait...no. Not, not that. He needed to think of anything _but_ that. Kissing her earlier that day had been a mistake. Well, not so much a mistake as a gross error in judgment on his part. Not really an error in judgment either. More of a course of action that he hadn’t fully taken all the consequences into consideration before pursuing said course of action. The largest, and most inconvenient, consequence being that he had been reminded of the sexual frustration he had been forcefully keeping under control.

Worth it.

So, on to c...er, three? Yes, three...Bad Wolf. That was a whole case of issues and possibilities and complications that he really didn't want to think about. Mostly because he was _so_ certain that he had removed it. All of it.

Then why did it bother him so much? The minor changes he had noticed in Rose could easily be passed off with other explanations. Exposure to the time vortex, not necessarily the direct exposure she’d had when it burned in her veins. But even that could be a contributing factor. It wouldn’t be anything to worry about. Any number of other variables they’d encountered in their travels could have had a tiny, minute effect on her basic biology. Nothing to be alarmed about.

Nothing to signal the end of the universe either.

The Kurrab’s voice floated in his mind. “ _Do not be afraid of the wolf dwelling within your pink and yellow flower. It will be there, to save all, whenever it is needed. Rose Tyler is a goddess of her own design._ ”

What did that bloody blue bird know anyway?

At least it had gotten the last bit right.

.....

The Doctor's mood, and mindset, hadn't improved much by the next day. His thoughts were so chaotic that he went through the morning on auto pilot. He didn't taste his morning meal. He didn't complain when he had to put on his elf outfit. He barely gave Rose a smile when he saw her as they went to prepare for the day's task.

He was lucky part of his large brain had even caught on to the instructions and objective for Day Five.

That's how he found himself, on step 172 of 341, trying to solve an interlocking ring puzzle and suddenly unable to continue.

His autopilot had apparently given out and all he could do was stare at the nine rings (why the puzzle contained nine rings instead of five was beyond him). Silver and gold circles swirled in his field of vision. Oh. Well there was his answer. Five of the rings were gold. And after he had gotten all nine rings off of the existing loop, he was supposed to somehow remove the silver rings so that only the golden remained linked together.

He just couldn't figure out _how_.

All he could think about was Rose and Bad Wolf and the Kurrab and all the bloody what ifs.

He growled, his hands tightening on the edge of the table he and Rose were sitting at. If only he could just _focus_.

"I don't know what you're so fucking pissed about," Rose snapped from her seat across from him.

He blinked then gazed at her in confusion.

"You've hardly said anything to me all day," she said. He opened his mouth to object. Realizing she was correct, no words came out. She pinched the bridge of her nose and exhaled slowly. "We can talk about that later. But you need to focus, yeah?"

"I'm trying," he said through gritted teeth. He was going crazy _and_ making Rose angry. Bloody brilliant.

"You can do this,” she said soothingly. “Why don't you try looking at it another way?"

He stared at her, his mind slowly taking in her words. His mighty Time Lord brain lurched to a stop. It was the most obvious answer really, which was probably why he had missed it altogether. He had been so wrapped up in all the awful outcomes that he had completely forgotten to look at the whole thing, the bigger picture. The negatives still needed to be factored in, but what about all the non-negatives? He wasn't ready to call any of the possibilities positives.

But...what if all this Bad Wolf nonsense this time around only indicated small changes in her? Changes due to her being Bad Wolf _before_ , not an omen of her becoming Bad Wolf again. It would make logical sense, that sort of contact with the time vortex causing little alterations. Such as...enhanced affinity for telepathy? Advanced healing? Would it really be all that bad? He knew he would still feel guilty, since traveling with him would be the reason it had happened in the first place. But did Bad Wolf really have to signal the end of the universe?

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything. I'm not as brain smart as you are...I shouldn't have--"

He leaned forward, kissing her full on the mouth without a care in the world. He felt her stiffen. Gradually, her lips curved into a smile.

"Separate or forfeit!" a stern voice called out.

The Doctor pulled away, grinning. "You're absolutely brilliant and I love you."

“You’re insane,” she giggled.

He looked to both sides in a conspiratory manner, before whispering, “You like it.”

Rose snorted and kicked his foot playfully under the table.

He was able to finish the first part of the puzzle in nine minutes and seven and half seconds. With Rose's help, they removed the four silver rings and finished fourth out of eight.

It wasn't until he was being escorted away to spend the night in isolation that he _really_ noticed the silver glinting on Rose's hand as she waved goodbye. He knew it had been an absent gesture, placing the silver rings on her fingers. She had done so after he knocked the first one off the table for the third time. He didn't think much of it then, she had worn rings in the past.

But as he glanced over his shoulder one last time, he caught her staring at the ring on _that_ finger.

He swallowed and his hearts did something funny in his chest. He wasn't quite sure how to quantify it. Only it was a particular sensation he hadn't felt before. Oh, he had experienced something similar before. Whenever he caught her making them breakfast in just his shirt. Whenever he woke before her (which was often) and just...watched her in the quiet moments before she roused from sleep. Any small window where he observed her being light and carefree really.

This was somehow different. This went deeper. An insistent pulling in his soul to commit himself to her. He'd already done that though. Hadn't he?

Wait, was he actually thinking about _marriage_? Without disgust? Or panic? Or...or scorn?

Perhaps a night in isolation would do him some good. He really was beginning to lose his mind. 

He had certainly already lost his hearts.

Not that he minded. They were in good hands. The very best as a matter of fact.


	12. Just Looked Like a "Thing", Didn't It?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta'd, all mistakes are mine.

Rose had been mostly amused that they had carted the Doctor off to spend the night in isolation. She hadn’t been particularly concerned about what exactly that would entail. The confines were bound to be comfy and accommodating, just like everything else. If anything she was more concerned about how the elves would handle what the Doctor got up to if he became too bored.

Then she was in her cell, alone. It was a bit silly, seeing as how she had been in her cell alone since they had been stuck here. But she didn’t even his grumbling on the other side of the wall for company. Suddenly, she wasn't so amused anymore. She violently stripped out of her elf outfit and nearly ripped the satin jim jams as she thrust her limbs into the garment. Huddling under the blankets with her back pressed against the cold wall, she held onto the charm he had made and willed herself to sleep.

.....

Rose jerked awake, the sound of the Doctor's voice drifting to her from down the hall. Flinging the covers off, she scrambled off the bed and towards her door. She gripped the bars tightly, her face pressed against the metal as his voice and footsteps came closer. Her heart raced in her chest and a wide smile bloomed over her face when he finally came into view.

He stopped yammering about the merits of tinsel as a decoration and gave her a matching grin, his eyes crinkling. "Good morning, Rose. Did you miss me?"

"For someone who just spent an entire evening being punished, you're awfully cheeky." She poked her tongue out of her mouth in a teasing smile, feeling in higher spirits.

"You two can chat after you, Doctor, get back in your cell." An elf Rose didn't recognize, swung open the Doctor's door then lightly shoved his arm.

"Yes, yes of course." The Doctor made a face, then strode into his cell. And out of sight.

The elf shook his head and closed the door, the sound of the lock clicking wiping the smile off of Rose's face. She furrowed her brow in confusion as the elf walked back down the hall, chuckling to himself.

"That's Cornelius, lovely fellow,” said the Doctor from his side of the wall. “The only elf willing to stay up and talk to me all night. I seemed to drive the others a bit mad...not sure why. I wasn't being rude. Well, not overly so. Well, at least I don't think I was. But, different place, different culture. For all I know I insulted someone's mother."

"Doesn't stop you from insulting mine,” Rose grumbled, resting her forehead against one of the bars.

"That's...different."

"How so?"

"Because she's _your_ mother." His tone implied that his non-explanation was all the explanation that was needed.

Rose laughed at how domestic the conversation had become. Typical bloke, poking fun at the mother in law. She shook her head, knowing that was never going to happen. As comfortable as he had become with their relationship and all the human details that came along with it, he would never go that far. That was something she had known from the start, and honestly was ok with. Even if her imagination did sometimes wander. 

"I did you know," she said softly.

"Pardon?"

"Miss you." She paused slightly. "And for the record, I love you too."

.....

Rose and the Doctor stood side by side, awaiting Santa's instructions for the day. This planet’s version of Father Christmas was currently conferring with Barnaby about something apparently more important. The pairs talked quietly among themselves, speculating about what the day's event would hold.

The Doctor, ever the mature bloke he claimed to be, was speculating at how many sticks Barnaby had up his arse. He leaned in conspiratorially, his warm breath hitting her cheek and setting her nerves on high alert. She bit the inside of her cheek, both to keep from laughing too loudly and to ground her to reality. A reality where she couldn't close the small distance from his mouth to hers, the heat from his body sparking the air between them and driving her mad.

"So!" Santa shouted abruptly, snapping to his full height. "Today, Day Six, you will all enter the arena and wait for the silver bells to ring. Once they do, you must snatch a goose egg from the center of the arena. You and your partner must successfully capture the egg without being bitten by a goose. I like the word goose. It’s fun to say!"

A murmur of concern trickled through the group. Concern that Rose didn't understand. What was the big deal about a few geese?

“Good luck and get out!” Santa shouted, laughing to himself.

“There is something seriously wrong with him,” Rose muttered to the Doctor for what felt like the hundredth time as they made their way to the door that led to the arena. She couldn’t help it. This Santa was just so _weird_.

Rose's mouth fell open as she stepped through the door. The arena was covered in white snow with small rolling hills that probably went on clear to the other side. There were small green bushes dotting the hills. But what had caught her attention were the trees. If that's what they really were. She was staring at candy cane trees. The trunks were either red or white and stretched up to the size of a house before arching into the familiar cane shape. Branches sprouted out as if someone had literally stuck large candy canes into the trunk, even smaller canes fanning out as if they were leaves.

The chiming of bells rang out through the air and the groups spread out around the edges. She was surprised that everyone always split off so amicably. If this had been humans, she was sure there would be squabbles and fights. The other six pairs had all been quiet as they found some place to approach the center, worried eyes darting to and fro.

"Oh, candy cane trees!" the Doctor crowed as they made their way forward. "Brilliant! They do actually taste like peppermint you know, in case you were wondering."

"Doctor, why do all the elves seem terrified of geese?" Rose asked, trudging through the snow and ignoring his excited rambling for the time being. She was sure there was a story behind how he knew what the trees tasted like, but it could wait.

"What do you mean?" He turned his head to look at her, the bell on his hat tinkling lightly.

"Didn't you see the looks on their faces? You'd think we're gonna be snatching an egg from a dragon or something the way they responded."

"Hmm,” he pondered with a frown. “Now that you mention it, they did act a bit strange. Good eye, Rose."

"So what do you think it is?" she prodded.

"Not sure.” He shrugged. “Maybe these elves are particularly allergic to geese."

"But you don't think it's...I dunno. Something else?" It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him. It was more that she didn’t trust his memory. Time Lord or no, there was simply too much information in all of time and space for one person to remember. Wouldn’t be the first time he had been wrong either.

"As in _not_ a goose?” He shook his head. “Naw. I'm sure it's just your normal everyday goose."

There was a loud scuffle heading in their direction. Exchanging a quick look, they ducked down behind the nearest bush. Her breathing increased, both from the adrenaline seeping into her veins and from the Doctor's thigh pressed along hers, his hand finding the small of her back. They peeked around the bush, the Doctor leaning around and over her in order to see.

An explosion of snow preceded the arrival of what appeared to be a lizard. A lizard that was the size of a horse. Rose's eyes widened. As she took in the details she realized it was covered in white feathers instead of scales. It's purple eyes scanned the area before it opened it's wide mouth, revealing rows of sharply pointed teeth. It threw it's head back into the air, the feathers at its shoulder bristling to attention, and a call similar to that of a goose rang into the air. It's call was answered a moment later, the creature's head swiveling in that direction before it raced off through the snow.

"Oh," the Doctor breathed.

"Oh?" She looked up at him with an arched eyebrow, trying to keep her frustration at bay. Either they had been lied to as to what the event entailed, _or_ a certain skinny alien had forgotten a very large detail.

"U-c-e," he groaned.

He sounded like he was speaking gibberish, irritating her further. "Care to tell me what the bloody hell that thing is?"

" _That_ ,” he exhaled, meeting her gaze, “Is a goose."

"No, it isn't."

"Yes, it is. G-u-c-e. Guce."

She furrowed her brow and searched his eyes. "You're joking."

"I wish I was." He stood up, brushing snow off his knees.

"That thing isn't anywhere near a real goose." She straightened, not bothering with the bit of snow on her tights. It would melt or fall off eventually.

"Rose, that wasn't a fake--"

"You know what I mean,” she snapped. “I thought this was based off of the song. With Earth geese."

"Well, it's an ancient song at this point. And we are on an alien planet. Translations are bound to be _off_ in some places. Besides, they do actually hold a few similarities to the geese you are familiar with."

"Like what? Aside from feathers and the noise. How?" She crossed her arms, cocking her hip to one side and daring him to come up with a decent answer.

"Well,” he drew the word out in typical Doctor fashion, tugging on his ear. “They lay eggs. Although the eggs will look different. Bit larger and a brilliant shade of red. But still eggs. And they tend to stick together in flocks. Oh, and one other...erm, thing." He scratched the back of his neck with a wary expression.

"What?"

"Temperament."

"Oh great.” Rose uncrossed her arms and looked to the sky. This was bloody fantastic. She brought her gaze back to the Doctor, flinging an arm out in the direction the guce had ran off to.  
“So they're ornery little bastards. With teeth."

"Yeah, about that...please, don't get bit."

"Wasn't planning on it, ta,” she responded with a bit more sarcasm than was probably needed. “Sounded like grounds for disqualification."

"Yes, well, I know that your concern is saving Jack, which is all very noble.” She placed her hands on her hips, a form of body language she knew he would read loud and clear. He stepped forward, rushing to finish his point. “And I agree that he deserves a thank you. And freedom, I suppose. But _my_ greatest concern, or one of them at any rate, is your health."

"It's not like I haven't been bit before. Or scratched. Or cut. Or--"

"I know. Just, listen. You know what a leech is yes?"

Rose rolled her eyes. "Yes, Doctor. I know what a leech is."

"Well, these creatures, _these_ geece, have a similar anticoagulant component in their saliva that a leech has.” He gingerly took both of her hands in his, rubbing his thumbs over her knuckles. The worry and concern in his eyes wasn’t hard to see. “Only at a much higher dosage."

She swallowed. "Meaning my blood won't clot and I'll just...bleed out."

"Correct,” he nodded.

A movement behind him, caught her attention. Flicking her eyes over his shoulder, she saw a guce stalking around a tree that stood only a meter or so away.

"If you don't want me getting bit,” she whispered, her gaze snapping back to his face, “I suggest we move. Right now."

"What?" His brow furrowed, detecting her anxiety but not the source.

"Run!" she hissed, dropping one of his hands and taking off.

He caught on quickly and was soon running beside her instead of slightly behind. Her feet floundered in the snow, his iron grip on her hand preventing her from falling completely. She could hear the creature running behind them, its frantic honking sounding closer and closer as they dodged trees and bushes.

The Doctor looked over his shoulder. Rose didn’t dare, afraid of losing her footing again and his warning reverberating in her mind.

"Split up,” he ordered.

"But--"

"Just do it. There should be a nest nearby. If you find it first, whistle twice." He sent a burst of reassurance through where their hands were joined. 

Rose sucked in a breath, relieved and shocked at the sudden push of emotion. It had been too long since they had communicated in such a way. She was made painfully aware of how much she missed it. He forced a picture of the guce chasing them through her thoughts, bringing her back to the present.

"Ok,” she agreed.

Squeezing her hand, he let it go and shoved her slightly to the side. Taking his hint, she ducked behind a nearby tree. Pressing her back against it, she willed her breathing to be quiet, the thundering in her ears making it hard to hear if the guce had followed the Doctor or not. When her heart rate had slowed and she couldn't hear anything nearby, she peeked around the tree.

She was alone.

Sighing in relief, she crept forward. Peaking around bushes and trees and in snow embankments, she tried to find the eggs. She wasn't even quite sure what she was looking for, other than something red and sort of egg shaped.

A crack to her right had her diving into the snow, praying that the bush would be enough to hide her. She held her breath, straining her ears.

Nothing.

Pushing up to her elbows, a glint of red caught her eye. Crawling forward, she pushed her hand through the thick branches. Tongue poked out in concentration she felt around until her hand closed on something warm and smooth. She gently pulled it out then cradled the object in both hands, shifting to a crouched position. It was shaped like any other egg, if a tiny bit larger. But it glistened as if the shell was made of ruby. It was gorgeous.

She hoped the eggs would be given back at the end of the event.

Wishing her outfit had come with pockets, she got to her feet. She tilted her head, trying to decide the best way to carry the egg. The jingle of her hat gave her an idea. Pulling it off her head, she carefully placed the egg inside the hat then tied it shut as best she could. She smiled to herself. The Doctor would would be proud of her resourcefulness.

Remembering his last minute instruction, she walked a little ways from the nest. She already had the egg anyway, and she figured alerting the geece that she was standing right next to one of their nests was probably not the smartest decision. Putting her fingers to her lips, she inhaled deeply.

Her next breath came out in the form of the word _shit_ , her hand dropping from her mouth, as a guce slunk out from behind a nearby tree. It's eyes zeroed in on her and it's mouth opened in a threatening snarl.

She turned on her heel and ran as fast as she could. She dodged left as the creature pounced, narrowly missing her. The spray of snow from its leap hit her side as she continued to run with the makeshift pouch clutched tightly in one hand.

Her feet fumbled in the snow. Her heart leaped into her throat as she fell forward. Turning slightly, so she landed more on her side in order to prevent crushing the egg, snow flew into the air and into her mouth. Rose jerked around so she was lying on her back. She scrambled backwards in the snow as best she could, panic clawing at her chest. 

The guce stalked forward, as if it were playing with her. It reared up, it's jaws opening wide. Rose threw her arms up to guard her face on instinct.

There was a choking sound and then firm hands were lifting her up. She barely caught a glimpse of the creature gagging on a large candy cane shoved down it's throat before the Doctor was half carrying, half dragging her away.

She recovered her footing quickly, adrenaline roaring through her veins and forcing her muscles into action. They ran hand in hand all the way to the exit, not pausing to look behind them.

The Doctor hit the door leading out of the arena first, slamming into it with his shoulder. He had it open in a flash, pushing her inside. After kicking it shut, he pulled her into a fierce hug. She panted into his shoulder, her lungs burning and her heart thundering in her rib cage. She could feel his two beating just as wildly against her chest.

"How did you know I had already grabbed the egg?" She asked, her breathing almost back to normal.

"I didn't," he mumbled into her hair.

The unspoken "and I didn't care" hung in the air. Hearing approaching footsteps and knowing they would be forced to separate sooner than either of them wanted, she let the matter drop--hugging him tightly instead.


	13. What Are You Going To Do, Moisturize Me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta'd, all mistakes are mine.

That evening the teams were bundled into sleighs and taken out of town. Rose hunkered down in the fur coat she had been given, trying to fight off the cold outdoor air as it whipped past. This time, they had split the pairs up. Meaning instead of being next to the Doctor, she was now in a sleigh full of female elves. Normally she wouldn't mind. She liked meeting new people and making friends, something she was quite good at.

This particular situation was proving to turn out completely different.

She leaned to the left, against the plush fabric of the side of the seat and tried to ignore the disdainful looks the other women were giving her. Without saying a word, the female immediately to her right had made it very clear that she didn't want any part of them to touch.

Rose wondered if the Doctor was receiving the same treatment. Or if he was too busy running his gob to even notice. Probably the latter.

It wasn’t until they had arrived at their destination, a handful of buildings that sat next to a glistening lake, that she got an understanding as to why they were treating her like she was diseased. Unable to tell the Doctor goodnight, she was ushered into one of the smaller buildings with the rest of the female elves. There was a small entryway that lead off in two directions. To the right was a small sitting room with the loo just beyond. The left opened up into a larger room filled with bunk beds, where they were instructed to sleep for the night.

Wandering toward a bunk in the back and grumbling under her breath about catty females, Rose was surprised to hear a soft voice at her side.

“We don’t mean it to be personal.”

She turned, looking down at one of the other women. She had stunning purple almond shaped eyes and glossy blonde hair that made Rose unconsciously brush her fingers through her own.

“What other way do you mean it then?” she asked, trying to keep the bite out of her voice.

“Think about it," the elf woman replied gently. "We only have this opportunity once every hundred years. How would you feel if an outsider showed up without explanation?”

“I--” Rose clamped her mouth shut and looked down sheepishly. How could she have not thought about it like that? She had been so wrapped up in saving Jack and the ridiculousness of everything that she had forgotten to remember the important things. The other people. She looked back at the elf. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think about it that way.”

“It’s alright, dear. You do seem like a nice person, it’s just...these games are our only chance at any sort of other life." She gave a light smile and looked around the room, her expression turning somber. "And not everyone makes it out.”

Rose stopped mentally kicking herself as the woman's words sank in. She tilted her head, watching the elf carefully. “What does that mean? _Not everyone makes it out?_ ”

“I’m sure you’ll see in good time," she replied, avoiding meeting Rose's eyes as she turned down the blankets. "I’m surprised there haven’t been any accidents this far. Get some rest. I would imagine the task tomorrow involves Fa La Lake and you’ll want to be ready. We all will.”

With that, the elf climbed into the bottom bunk and quickly laid down, pulling the blankets up and closing her eyes. Rose furrowed her brow, but climbed into the top bunk without another word. Surely, the woman couldn’t mean that people had died. Injured, she could see. But death? 

Tossing and turning, she eventually drifted off to sleep.

…..

The next morning, the Doctor was thankful (more than really) to find himself next to Rose once more. The elves had seemed a little wary, almost scornful, of him. Not that he had paid much attention. After talking enough, he had managed to get two of them to talk to him. Not that they had been overly cheerful to do so. _But_ he had promised to shut up once they reached their destination. Something he honestly regretted. He should have promised to shut up for the rest of the sleigh ride and then asked questions about where they had ended up.

Oh well, live and learn.

After a quick breakfast, they were sent to a larger building next door to meet up and prepare for the day's event. Rose had given him a beaming smile that had made his hearts skip a beat once she had locked eyes with him. She had slight bags under her eyes, as if she hadn’t slept very well the night before. He frowned as she came to stand beside him.

“You didn’t sleep well did you?” he asked, eyes roving her face.

“Um, not as such, no.” She worried her lip, then shook her head and forced a smile. “You?”

“I didn’t really sleep. But I didn’t really need it either. So no harm there. I’ll probably try and catch a few hours tonight. Just in case.” He paused. “Why couldn’t you sleep?”

“Later,” she whispered, squeezing his elbow. She inclined her head toward the front of the room they were standing in.

The Doctor followed her gaze and groaned. Barnaby marched self importantly to the wooden platform, stepping up so that he was half a foot taller than everyone else, except of course Rose and the Doctor. The elf placed his fingers to his lips and blew a sharp whistle that pierced the room. Everyone quieted and gave him their full attention.

“Santa could not make it here today. He has much more _important_ things to do back in the city. He doesn’t have the time to be here for your...games.” His lips curled into a sneer and the Doctor clenched his fists, trying to remain calm. “Today, Day Seven, will require you to venture out into Fa La Lake. Certain treasures will be at various locations at the very bottom. Each team must retrieve its assigned item and then return to shore. It is up to each pair as to who will enter the water. You may take turns, if you wish." He paused, surveying the teams with a wicked glint in his eyes. "If you _need_ it."

The Doctor watched the other pairs exchanged worried glances, the tension in the room growing thick. He clenched his jaw and took a deep breath. Looking sideways at Rose, he saw matching outrage in her eyes. His attention was brought back to the front of the room as Barnaby continued to speak.

"Pedal boats and appropriate attire will be provided. Each team has already been assigned a boat and changing stalls will be near where the boats are tethered. Good luck," Barnaby finished sarcastically.

Taking that as their queue, the group shuffled out the doors. The sun had risen more completely into the sky, making the snow glitter and sparkle. The large lake glistened brilliantly, gentle waves lapping at the snow and pebble shore. Bobbing gently at the shoreline were six white pedal boats. Crafted to look like swans. From this distance, there appeared to be two seats and another empty space behind those, presumably where they would keep their clothes and whatever item they were intended to retrieve.

“You’re joking,” Rose muttered beside him. He looked over at her with a slight smile in time to see her shrug. “Well, gotta hand it to them, they sure are creative. Where do you suppose this _attire_ Barnaby mentioned is at?”

“I would imagine it’s in the boat. Along with the description of whatever item we have to retrieve.” Pulling up the rear of the crowd, they walked towards the remaining empty boat, occasionally bumping shoulders. Stopping at the water’s edge, the Doctor bent down and placed his hand in the water. A sharp tingle shot up his fingers. He stood up and shook his hand. “That’s what I was afraid of,” he grumbled.

“What?”

“Rose, this water is freezing. More than freezing. Take freezing and add three whopping icebergs of bitter cold, that's what this water is. Don’t even bother putting on the clothes or-or whatever they’ve provided. There is no way you are getting in this water.”

“Doctor--”

“No, this isn’t up for debate," he cut her off, needing her to understand how serious this was even as she crossed her arms and irritation flashed in her eyes. "I don’t doubt your swimming ability. But this...this is something your body will _not_ be able to handle." He held a hand up as she opened her mouth to try and argue again. "And I don’t want to hear anything about how you hate your human body. I happen to _love_ that body and would like you to keep it.”

The fire he had seen burning in her eyes subdued.

“On one condition," Rose stated calmly.

He arched a brow. “Depends on the condition.”

“If saving you requires jumping into that water, I’m doing it.”

He wanted to argue. He really _should_ argue. After all, if worse came to worse he would simply regenerate. Not an ideal solution he knew, but he’d survive. However, he knew she would only jump in anyway. And he couldn’t blame her. It’s what they did--save each other. If only she knew how much she had truly saved him...He shook his head, scattering that train of thought.

“Well, if you’re not going to--”

“What? No, I--oh. That’s not what I was shaking my head for." He sighed, knowing he was defeated no matter what he said. "I agree to your terms, not that I _want_ you to do such a thing, even if I am in danger. But...fine.”

"Right," Rose said with a satisfied nod, uncrossing her arms. Her pink lips molded into a teasing grin. "Mr. Superior-Biology, would you be so kind as to fetch me my clothes. Wouldn't want to get my toes wet." She wiggled her feet, her tongue poking teasingly out of her mouth.

He placed a hand behind his back and bowed at the waist, making a sweeping gesture with his other hand. He kept his head tilted up, keeping an eye on her as she fought back a giggle. "It would be my pleasure, Mrs Superior-In-Other-Ways-Biology," he replied, standing up straight and waggling his eyebrows. He smirked as her cheeks flushed. With a blatant once over of her body, he turned on his heel.

He hesitated the briefest moment at the water's edge. He wasn't afraid of a bit of cold water, or freezing water as it was in this case. But he wasn't sure if he was going to get other clothes to wear afterwards. And this water was going to be pushing his body to it's limits, especially if he was going to be under there for an extended length of time. Not that he was planning on telling Rose that.

The Doctor was able to cross the distance to the side of the boat by only placing one foot in the water. Snatching the pile that looked like clothing of some sort off the seat he quickly retreated back to dry land. Shaking out the clothes, he was relieved to see that they were a wet suit of some kind, even if they were an obnoxious shade of red. He handed the smaller one to Rose and inspected the suit a little closer.

"Hmm, not bad." He sniffed at the material, ignoring the raise of her eyebrow. "It's made of insublub. Which, while is loads better than 21st century Earth wetsuit material, is not the best stuff either. Mid grade you could say. Better than nothing. But if they ask me, what they really need is--"

"Doctor."

"What?"

"You do remember that this is a competition, yeah?"

"Yeah. I was just--"

"You can tell me all about it _after_ we change. While we're paddling all the way out to the middle of the bloody lake."

"You might be sorry you said that," he warned, as he followed her up to the stalls erected for them to change in.

"Never hurts to learn," she stated, turning to face him outside one of the empty changing areas.

"You either spoil me...or indulge in my ramblings against your better judgement."

"Nope," she said, popping the 'p'. Rose ran her finger along the smooth edge of his belt buckle, eyes following her movements with a dark purpose. He swallowed and looked around nervously. She gazed up at him through thick lashes. "I just really like to listen to you talk. Makes me all...warm and _tingly_ inside."

His brain heard one thing and his cock heard another thing. A more accurate thing if the brush of her fingers over his groin and the seductive wink of her eye was any indication.  
Spinning on her heel, she sashayed into one if the changing stalls. The Doctor was left gaping, holding his wet suit over the bulge in his tights to keep it hidden. Groaning, he shuffled into a different stall and tried desperately not to think of Rose--naked in the stall next door.

Changed in under two minutes, but still in the ridiculous elf shoes, he walked down to the boat to wait for Rose. Not wanting her to even walk in the frigid water, he tossed his elf costume in the space behind the seats and pulled the swan contraption closer to shore. A smaller pile of bright green on one of the seats caught his attention. Leaning over the edge of the pedal boat, he picked up the stack and let out a squeak of glee as he realized what they were. Shoes of a sort (or socks) that were made out of the same material as their suits. Again, it wasn't the best, but he wouldn't have to worry so much about their feet as they pedaled out to their assigned location.

He turned in time to catch Rose exiting her stall. His jaw dropped and he leaned limply against the boat, hoping he wouldn't accidentally push it back out into the water as he stared at her. The suit was of course hugging her curves to greater perfection than the elf get up had done.

"You're staring," she said with a smile, stopping just in front of him.

"Insublub may not be top notch in keeping you warm in frigid waters, but they definitely make up for it in fit."

"I'll say." Her gaze lowered pointedly before she moved past him and climbed into the boat, dropping her clothes next to his. He closed his eyes, redirecting blood flow and eliminating dangerous hormones (that he really, really wanted to give into).

"Oh," he blurted, eyes popping back open. "Put these on your feet." He handed her the smaller pair of water shoe-socks then carefully put on his own. Depositing the hideous elf shoes in the boat, he pushed the large swan into the water until he could no longer hear the scrape of pebbles against the bottom then jumped on board.

"Any idea where we're going?" Rose asked as they began to pump their legs, turning the foot pedals and sending the boat further into the lake.

"Hmm." The Doctor looked around the interior of the boat and popped open a small compartment between their seats. He took out two laminated sheets. The top was a map of the lake. Their assigned area was marked by a red square in the center of the lake. Making a few quick mental calculations, he handed the sheets to Rose. "Here."

"Just like I thought," she groaned. "Out in the bloody middle."

"Could be worse. Could have to paddle to the opposite side."

She made a disgruntled face at him, then looked at the other page. "This is what we have to find? A diamond swan?"

"Apparently." The Doctor glanced at the page she was holding. "A diamond cygnet to be precise."

"A what?"

"A cygnet. Fancy word for--"

"Baby swan."

He looked at her with wide eyes.

"I looked again and in this close up picture," she pointed to an image of the diamond sculpture that showed just the head, "You can see the diamond is sort of textured, yeah? Like the rest of the body, indicating feathers. If it was an adult swan it'd have been smooth, since they have a sort of...skin patch between their eyes." Rose ignored his confused stare, flipping back to the map. Something akin to alarm bells jangled in the back of his mind. "How exactly are we supposed to know we are in the right spot?"

"Time Lord," he responded automatically, pushing the concerns away.

She rolled her eyes. "I've been with you for over two years, you can't just say "Time Lord" and expect me to be impressed. And don't say "I am so impressive"."

"But--"

"I said don't."

"You don't know what I was going to say."

She looked at him pointedly, waiting for him to prove her wrong.

"Yeah, alright," he admitted. "But really...Time Lord. I already did the calculations and scaling in my head. Plus, if you read the bottom of the map you'd know that a general area will be marked off with buoys to assure us we've reached the right location."

"I was getting to that."

"Of course you were."

They steered the boat in the right direction, the swan's bill leading the way. It only took 7.52 minutes for them to reach their goal.

"The water doesn't look that deep," Rose observed, peering over her side of the boat as they passed between two golden buoys and glided to a stop.

"It's a trick of the eye," the Doctor said warily. "It's because the water's so unbelievably clear."

"So...how deep is it?"

"I'm about to find out."

"Wait." Rose placed a hand on his arm. Turning to face her, he could see the unspoken worry in her eyes. "Do you think we could spot it from the surface?"

He paused, tilting his head and contemplating.

"I mean, it _is_ sort of shiny. And I'd rather spend the time looking before you just go diving into the water."

"I thought this was a competition."

"It is. Doesn't mean we can't be smart."

"Right you are." He gave a broad smile and squeezed her hand.

Guiding the boat slowly over the marked off area, each of them stared intently into the water. After a complete survey, they had come up with three potential spots for the location of the diamond cygnet.

"You sure you'll be ok?" she asked as he stood in the boat and prepared to jump. "That water really is cold."

"I'll be fine." He glanced over his shoulder, hoping his smile reached his eyes. "Promise."

Without giving her extra time to worry, he dived into the water. Cold bit into his face and hands as his body carved through the water. Even though he knew the wet suit he was wearing wouldn't keep the cold from him for long, he was thankful for the small delay it provided. His keen eyes picked out the first potential item immediately. He kicked his legs and arced his arms through the water, propelling himself forward. Air bubbles escaped his nose as he snorted in irritation as he got close enough the item only to find that it was a crystal duck.

It wasn't that he was running out of air, it was that the chill of the water was already beginning to seep through his wet suit. He swam the short distance to the bottom and turned his body so he could plant his feet on the pebbled lake floor and launch himself back to the surface.

"Well?" Rose asked hopefully as his head cleared the water right beside the boat.

"Not it," the Doctor breathed, shaking his head and spraying tiny water droplets all around him. "Was just a crystal duck." He gripped the side and hefted himself back into the boat, careful not to send too much water in her direction. "To the next spot."

"Do you need to take a break? Warm up?"

"No. It's best to get it all over with. That way we can head back so--"

"You can change and get dry instead of sitting around in wet clothes."

"Right you are again." He beamed at her.

They moved the swan to the other location in silence. The Doctor was focused on regulating his body temperature and steadfastly ignoring the concerned glances Rose was giving him. Based on the subtle way she did it, without turning her body, she didn't want to really be noticed anyway. Not yet. At the moment, his body was quickly recovering from the tiny exposure to cold, but he knew it would only get worse each time he had to submerge

Coming to a stop at the next spot, he hadn't even stood up before Rose was stopped him with her voice.

"Be careful," she pleaded, her eyes locked with his.

"Always." Leaning over, he placed a quick kiss to her cheek. He gave her a wink then stood up and dived into the water once more, flinching a tad at the cold shock as the liquid swallowed him completely. As he propelled himself downward, he was loathe to notice it was deeper here. Glancing over his shoulder, he could see the bottom of their white swan boat as if it were within arms reach. He had gone down a good ten feet. The water was pressing on him from all sides, an eerie silence filling his ears. Refocusing on the sparkle below, he swam deeper into the frigid waters.

He was relieved to find that this object was the one he needed. It sat in a patch of weeds, sparkling in the sunlight that managed to reach all the way down to the lake floor. Placing a hand around the neck of the diamond cygnet, he pulled and turned back towards the surface.

His body jerked, his hold on the object preventing him from getting very far. He moved to examine the item, which was clearly caught on _something_.

Of course.

It’s feet were tangled in a mass of weeds. The Doctor grunted in frustration, cursing the lack of sonic technology at the moment. His hands, not shielded from the cold, were beginning to go numb at the tips of his fingers. His ears and nose were suffering a similar fate. Well, his whole face was.

After an infuriating 4.22 minutes, his fumbling fingers finally had the diamond cygnet free of its mossy prison. Placing his feet against the lake floor, he pushed and rocketed towards the surface once more.

Bursting through the water into open air, he gasped and blinked rapidly through the drops pouring down his face. As he reached the side of the boat, Rose grabbed the diamond cygnet from him and hurriedly placed it somewhere--presumably in the back with their clothes. He'd barely gotten into the boat, teething chattering, when she grabbed his face. Her lips covered his urgently, sending heat and warmth rushing from his head to his toes. The Doctor sighed as she pulled away, looking at her slightly dazed.

“You scared me half to death,” she chastised him, swatting him gently on the arm.

“I--”

“It’s fine,” she said softly and brushed his wet fringe from his forehead. “Let’s just get you back to shore, yeah?”

They pedaled back to the starting point, the Doctor feeling considerably less frozen but not as warm as he would like to be. They shared an all too brief victory hug when they discovered they were the first to return. The separated, both still smiling widely, as the scrape of plastic over pebbles signaled the arrival of another competitor.

Their victory turned sour when an elf with a vacant expression pulled a body, blue and lifeless, from the boat. He collapsed on the shore, clutching his partner tightly to his chest.


	14. Oh, I'd Love You to Come!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in posting. Unbeta'd, all mistakes are mine. Oh, this chapter ended up being something I hadn't planned on...something rated adult.

The rest of the event was extremely somber. And rightfully so. A life had been lost.

Rose had always been the more compassionate of the two of them. Not that the Doctor didn't care, because he very much did. But whereas he was quick to talk any ear off willing to listen (or not as the case could be), she was usually forming an actual bond with someone, creating new friends. And while he wouldn't necessarily say that deaths didn't affect him, they didn't quite have the same impact as they did on her. He'd had centuries to learn the best way to cope with death, had even been responsible for his fair share of loss of life. Rose was young and her life span, being short as it was, gave her a whole different perspective on death. Especially those of the innocent.

Even so...something had seemed _off_. She had gasped one too many times, fought back one too many sobs, and her eyes had shone with what he would called recognition.

As with so many things he wasn't getting to do on this stupid hunk of ice, he didn't get the opportunity to ask her about it. As soon as the officials caught on to what had happened, everyone in the vicinity had been ushered away. They were split up, sent back to their respective cabins and instructed to wait. Patiently. Something the Doctor wasn't very good at. Something he was incredibly bad at actually when he was worried about Rose. Add in the fact that an innocent life had been taken in these _stupid_ games. Games were supposed to fun, not deadly. Otherwise, what was the point in calling it a game? 

He stayed near the fire in the cabin until they finally brought him his clothes, the rage within burning brighter than the flames in the fireplace. Once he had changed back into his new normal (and still atrocious) attire, he paced the cabin. He was seething, the only thing keeping him from exploding and finding the quickest way to demolish the whole town, the whole bloody planet, being the sharp sting in his palm. He clutched the pendant Rose had made for him tightly in his hand, knowing she would not approve of destroying an entire town when it could very well cost more innocent lives.

He would have to find a way to talk to her later. Once they rescued Jack, Santa needed to be taught a lesson.

.....

"Rose?" the Doctor whispered tentatively through the bars on his door. He had arrived back at the Gingerbread House before she did. Changing into his jim jams and straightening up his room had only distracted him for 6.67 minutes.

Rose hadn't arrived for an additional 33.98 minutes.

She hadn't spoken a single word for another 5.37.

"Her name was Crystal," she replied, her voice strained and defeated.

He opened his mouth to ask who, but snapped it shut rather quickly. That would have been an incredibly stupid and insensitive question to ask. He remained silent, waiting to see if she would say anything else on her own.

"She was the only one who spoke to me. We didn't get close or anything. But she was the only one who showed me any sort of kindness. Even though I don't deserve it. And I didn't even know her name till it was too late."

The Doctor fought his gut reaction to argue with her. If anyone in the universe deserved kindness, it was Rose. "I'm so sorry," was all he said. At first, all he heard in response was silence. A small sniffle disturbed the quiet, making his hearts ache. He gripped the metal bars tighter, twisting his hands around as if he could will the obstacle out of existence.

"I wish you could hold me,” she whispered.

He hesitated for a fraction of a second, his hands ceasing their movements. "I could make you _feel_ like...like I am."

"What?"

He tugged on his ear. He had avoided doing this because in order to do such a thing, he would have to enter her mind. He knew she wouldn't have an issue with that, it wouldn’t be a new sensation by any means. But it would be the worst kind of tease for him. It would be so tempting for him to...do other things while he was in there. Her golden hue would call to him like a siren song. With it being so long since they were able to maintain a decent mental connection, he felt shaky in his ability to resist.

"Doctor?"

He sucked in a breath, pushing his concerns away for the moment. After all, in the end she could still say no. "I could make it feel like I was holding you, without actually doing so."

"How?"

"Well, for starters, I'd have to go into your mind. Which, unfortunately, would require you to hold my hand. Not that that is unfortunate in and of itself. However, what is unfortunate is the position your arm would most likely have to be in because of the bars to facilitate the hand holding.” He exhaled roughly, having rambled out his explanation all in one breath. “But it's up to you."

"That's it?” Rose asked, her voice tinged with skepticism and yet also...hope. “We just have to hold hands? You wouldn't have to touch my temples?"

"In your case, no. We've, er, strengthened our mental link, without making it permanent, with practice and other _activities_." The fact that Bad Wolf may have had some unintentional lingering affects on her could also having been playing a part he had previously been unaware of, but he wasn't going to touch that subject tonight.

"And it will...feel just like if I were actually in your arms?"

"Basically. You may have to close your eyes to help trick your mind into believing it, but yes." He heard shuffling coming from her room, like the rustling of fabric.

"Out of curiosity, how does that work?” She grunted and he turned his head so he was looking at the wall between them, wishing he had x ray vision so he knew what she was doing. “Making me feel it without it actually happening?"

"Combination of things really.” He shrugged to himself, and rested his head against the cool metal. “Stimulating certain parts of your brain. Creating a mental image of the event, which is why closing your eyes will help. Willingness of both parties."

"Do you have a lot of experience with this?"

"Er, not as such no."

"How do you know it'll work?"

"I have an excellent memory when it comes to all things Rose Tyler. I have no doubt in my ability to recreate such an event." It was true, he didn't doubt that at all. He was still nervous about entering her mind...and not wanting to leave. A tiny part of him wished she would say no.

Something was dragging across her floor.

"Alright, I'm ready," Rose stated.

"What were you doing?"

"Moving my pillow and blanket. Had to get comfy didn't I?"

The Doctor chuckled and shook his head, lowering himself so that he was sitting on the floor. It was a tad awkward and he fidgeted for several seconds, trying to arrange his long legs comfortably. Hard to do when he needed to be as close to the wall as possible in order to reach around to Rose. He settled for one leg bent in on the floor and the other knee up in the air, a perfect perch for the arm that would not be touching her.

"Where are you?" she asked in a tiny voice.

He angled an arm between the bars, searching the air until his fingers slipped between hers and gripped her hand tightly.

_Here._

He gasped, the relief and happiness instantly surging from her overwhelming him.

 _Sorry_ , she thought to him as she tamped down on her emotions.

_No, no, no. Don't do that._

Sensing her reluctance, the Doctor pushed forward with his own mind. He let his own exuberance and relief swirl around her consciousness until she relented. He didn't even bother to keep track of time while their minds brushed against each other, welcoming the other with symbolic open arms. He knew if he did, he would only be disappointed--the only time he would truly be happy with would be forever. That was an impossibility.

_Oi, Mister Gloomy Pants._

_Sorry_ , he responded. She was right, no point in being gloomy now, not with their minds and fingers intertwined. Besides, he was supposed to be cheering her up. _Are your eyes closed?_

_Yes._

He pulled an instance from their more recent memories to the forefront of her mind to help create a mental image--cuddling on the couch in the TARDIS library. True it wasn't exactly a hug, but he had a feeling that Rose wouldn't mind. Cuddles were really just prolonged hugs anyway.

Background sensory information came first. The ever present hum of the time ship. The lighting that was dim enough to make you relax, but not so dark as to make you fall asleep. The plush burgundy sofa supporting their weight, that smelled slightly of tea thanks to one too many out of control tickle fights.

Slowly, he narrowed the details to the two of them. Her wearing jeans and a pink cotton jumper and barefoot. Him dressed in his usual pinstriped trousers and chucks, but without a tie and jacket, the sleeves of his light blue oxford rolled up to his elbows. Her head pillowed on his chest, her slightly wavy hair tickling his nose as he nuzzled the top of her head. Both his arms wrapped securely around her, fingers curled around her shoulder and her waist. She had one arm slung across his torso and the other wedged between his back and the couch, on the verge of falling asleep.

Gradually, Rose began to relax. The depression and stress of the day washing away. The Doctor didn't know why he had been so worried. The last time he had been afraid of permanently bonding with her was before she had so graciously welcomed the mental connection in a temporary sense. Back when the (actual) physical stimulus had been new and overwhelming. There wasn't even anything like that right now. Simple hand holding. Nothing more.

His mind wandered, their complete openness allowing him to fill in the details of how she had experienced the moment, not just project his own memory into her consciousness. To Rose, he smelled of books and tea and time. The double thumping of his hearts beneath her cheek was a source of comfort, combined with his arms around her she felt safe and at home.

That was a feeling he could more than relate to. Everything felt right in the universe when she was in his arms. Her warm body pressed against him. Her scent (wild flowers and strawberries and _Rose_ ) filling his nose and bringing him peace while always leaving him wanting more.

Like kissing her and the way her skin tasted, especially that spot right beneath her ear--salty and sweet. They way her breath always hitched when his lips first made contact. And her deep sigh as his hand tangled in her smooth locks, pulling her hair out of his way.

He felt encouragement from somewhere outside himself, a distant part of his mind reasoned that it must be Rose. Most of his focus had slipped into thinking about trailing kisses down the column of her neck--the way she would softly exhale and tilt her head to the side. Nipping at her pulse point before drawing his tongue in circles over the area. Massaging her breasts in his hands as he sucked on her skin, her sharp intake of breath as she arched into him and fisted her hands in his shirt.

The tantalizing taste of her skin wasn't enough. He wanted more. And he wanted to taste her essence somewhere much more intimate. His desire was insatiable, it became all consuming. Needing to wedge his head between her thighs, her sex open and exposed to him, already wet from wanting the same thing. He imagined teasing her, tracing his tongue in swirling patterns over her lips. Close but never quite where she wants him, where she _needs_ him.

Without quite realizing it, the image and feelings he was projecting to Rose shifted. What was supposed to be a simple, calming gesture had morphed into something entirely different. Later he could marvel at how in tune to each other they were. An abrupt change in a mentally created atmosphere was usually jarring to the other person, causing them to snap out of whatever illusion they had been under.

Not Rose.

Cuddling innocently on the couch had become a far from innocent position with no in between. One instant their arms were around each other, both parties almost in a state of dozing off. The next instant, her pants and knickers were no where to be found and he was kneeling on the carpet between her legs, her knees resting on his shoulders. He had one had on her hip and the other was beneath her shirt, her bra shoved hurriedly out of the way so that her warm skin was in direct contact with his fingers.

He placed a kiss to the inside of her thigh before zeroing his attention in on her clit, sucking the bundle of nerves into his mouth. Her fingers threaded tightly into his hair, his ears filled with her soft pants and his tongue thrusting in and out of her wet heat. His nose and upper lip provided direct stimulation to her most sensitive spot, making her hips twitch in an effort to grind against his face.

Her pleasure filled his mind and the only thing he focused on was pushing her over the edge. So lost in her arousal and desire was he, that he didn't notice his body's physical reaction to the scenario until it was too late. His cock was straining against his pants, the silky jim jams providing a little extra room than his usual pinstriped trousers would have. His free hand had been absently rubbing his length through the clothing, attempting to create some sort of frictional relief.

Rose reached out, her mind attempting to return the favor and create a visual where it was her hand instead of his own. While he appreciated the gesture and his body was wound tight, days of not being able to touch her or be touched taking its toll, he firmly rejected the image. Forcing his hand to grip the metal bar instead he redoubled his mental efforts, using his extremely advanced telepathic abilities to his ruthless advantage.

This was about Rose, he could wait.

The Doctor bombarded her with every memory he could find of him going down on her, making the mental scenario seem as real as possible. Sweat beading on her forehead, her back arched as she grew closer and closer to fulfillment. His hair tickling and scratching her inner thighs. His fingers of one hand digging into her hips, urging her on. The fingers of his other hand abandoning her breast in order to take the place of his tongue, pumping and curling inside her--giving his lips and his tongue the freedom to give her clit the direction attention it desperately needed.

In a matter of seconds, she snapped. Her orgasm burst inside her, he could feel how it spread rapidly from her core to the rest of her body--reaching her from her head to her toes. He could sense her body shudder and tingle, the sudden explosion of euphoria passing from her consciousness to his own. Tremors ran down his spine, their connection making him feel as if he had experienced an orgasm of his own. Their minds were intertwined so tightly it was nearly impossible to tell where one ended and the other began.

An actual sigh reached his ears, pulling him from the cloud of pleasure that had settled over them both. Forcing the panic that bubbled up to a dark corner of his mind, he slowly untangled her consciousness from his own. That had been unexpectedly close to forging a permanent bond with her. He should pull away completely, not tempt himself any further.

 _Stay_ , Rose thought sleepily.

No point in acting like he would be able to say no.

The floor was hard. The bars were cold. His arm ached from its awkward position. His unattended erection was near the point of being painful, despite the pleasure still humming through him.

He didn't care.

He was holding Rose's hand and her love was flowing their their still intact mental link, even though she was already asleep.

The Doctor settled in and closed his eyes, getting the first peaceful sleep he’d had since arriving.


	15. That's Not Supposed to Happen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for being so patient with me. I have more energy now that the baby has been born. So I'm slowly getting back into the writing groove. Unbeta'd, all mistakes are mine.

Rose was startled into consciousness by someone behind her pointedly clearing their throat. Someone very close by and someone who was probably not the Doctor. Her eyelids flew open and she fought to send signals down her arm to move, move, _move_. The tingling in her limb was almost painful, the awkward position it was in through the cell bars probably causing it to fall asleep soon after she had passed out.

"Ah, good morning, Cornelius!" came the Doctor's cheery voice.

Rose twisted around to see the elf that had sat with the Doctor the night he had spent in solitary confinement. He was standing in the hall with his arms crossed over his chest and shaking his head. A smile was fighting to break over his face and his eyes sparkled with amusement.

She sighed in relief, noticing several kinks in her back from her awkward sleeping position against the metal bars. Her blanket was tangled underneath her and around her waist, having served its purpose of keeping her warm and preventing her bum from going numb. Her pillow had somehow ended up beside her instead of at her back. Then she remember...she had intended on laying _down_ at some point. She rolled her neck, sighing as it popped. The stiffness in her muscles and joints were completely worth what had happened just before she had fallen asleep.

"Come to check on us lowly prisoners?" the Doctor continued.

Cornelius shook his head again, this time as an answer to the Doctor's question. "You're just lucky it was me making first rounds this morning. Something tells me Barnaby would not find this so amusing."

"Quite right."

"Five minutes till breakfast arrives. And I can't guarantee how tight lipped the wait staff will be in regards to your... _position_." Cornelius eyed them both before his gaze dropped to their still joined hands.

"Blimey, you'd think they caught us shagging in the primary school playground or something," Rose grumbled, the feeling slowly returning to her hand.

"Primary school?" Cornelius asked her, a small crease in his brow.

"Don't mind her," the Doctor whispered conspiratorially. "She's rather grumpy in the mornings."

"Oi! I am not!"

Cornelius chuckled and began to walk down the hall. He turned abruptly on his heel, glancing sideways at Rose as if he were trying to decide something about her. She attempted to look as friendly as possible without coming across too strong, even though she was confused as to why he seemed to be measuring her worth in the first place. He shrugged his shoulders and took a step back towards the Doctor's cell. Rose watched as his expression turned serious and he leaned forward, probably to look the Doctor in the eye. "You still plan on keeping your word, yes?"

"Of course."

"Even after--"

"Especially after that," the Doctor interjected, his voice full of resolve and barely contained anger. Rose could feel the outrage along their temporary bond, simmering just below the surface. She bit her lip, wanting to know what the cryptic exchange was about but not wanting to interrupt.

Cornelius nodded and straightened, clasping his hands behind his back. "Three minutes, Doctor," he called over his shoulder as he strode swiftly away from them.

"I didn't say that because I'm grouchy," Rose protested, knowing full well that now was not the time to ask questions even though she was positive the Doctor could sense her curiosity.

"I know," he replied, allowing her to steer the conversation down a different path. "Just didn't feel like wasting five minutes explaining the educational structure for a race that lives for only a small fraction of an elf's life in a country on a planet that he will likely never see. He may not even know the planet Earth exists."

"So instead you want to spend the remaining time explaining to me what you didn't want to explain to him?" Rose teased. The thumb that had been brushing back and forth over the back of her hand froze for an instant. She tilted her head back against the bars and laughed.

_I love you._

She stopped laughing and smiled softly to herself. _Thank you for...last night. I love you too._

_Pleasure was all mine, Miss Tyler._

Footsteps echoed down the hall. Before pulling away, something neither of them wanted to do, she sent him one last thought.

_No, I really don't think it was._

As she slipped her arm back through the bars, shaking it out to regain complete feeling, she heard him mumble, "Minx."

.....

"So...you going to tell me what all the secrecy was about this morning?" Rose asked under her breath, sidling up next to the Doctor while they waited for Santa or one of his elves to brief them on the day's events.

He looked down at her, the frown on his face contrasting with the happy jingle of the bell on his hat. "Secrecy?"

She arched a brow and gave him a pointed stare.

"Oh, yes. That. Well..." he paused, looking around to make sure no one was listening to their conversation. The other competitors were chatting amongst themselves, speculating as to what dangers today's challenge would hold. And the officials that were in the room leaned against the walls, looking bored. The Doctor pointed at something behind her. She turned, confused when she saw nothing of interest. Her skin prickled as she sensed him lean close to her. "After this is over, let's just say I don't plan on leaving quietly," he whispered in her ear.

"Is that right?" she asked, turning her head ever so slightly to watch his mouth move in her peripheral vision.

"Yes. Although, why we couldn't have just broke Jack out of jail in the first place is, quite frankly, beyond me."

Rose turned to him more fully, attempting to ignore the slight pout of his bottom lip as he awaited her answer. "No, it's not. Same reason you're determined to go out with a bang."

He wrinkled his nose. "Really? That's what you came up with? With a bang?"

"My point," she reminded him sternly, rolling her eyes.

"Would be...?"

"Loss of innocent life. Potential or otherwise."

The skin around his eyes crinkled as he smiled at her as if she were the only person in the universe, making her heart skip a beat. "Have I told you how brilliant you are?" he breathed.

Just as she opened her mouth to reply (or to nibble on his bottom lip), a door swung open and Santa marched into the room with his usual robotic round of ho ho ho's. Rose and the Doctor shuffled to create more space between them, facing the front of the room instead of each other.

"Why does everyone look so glum? You'd think someone died." Santa laughed at his own badly crafted joke. Rose choked, unbelieving that he could be so cruel.

The Doctor growled, "That bloody--"

"You can't. Not now," Rose whispered, imploring him with her eyes.

His brown eyes were ablaze with outrage and his lips were curled in the beginnings of a sneer.

"Remember the bang," she reminded him.

His eyes narrowed, flicking to Santa and back to her. His shoulders relaxed, but the clench in his jaw remained. "I hate having to live time in the right order. And _slowly_."

"I know," Rose sympathized, resisting the need to trail a hand down his arm. With that particular crisis averted, she relaxed and turned her attention back to the front, watching the Doctor out of the corner of her eye.

Santa recovered from his laughter, letting out a low, "Woo! Aw, come on. It's almost Christmas! Cheer up!" He looked around the room with his plastic smile. "And today's event is extra special. It's one for the ladies!"

The Doctor jerked his head in her direction. She ignored him, not wanting to panic until she knew what Santa was on about.

"Ladies, today you will be extracting milk from a laivache. For those that don't know," he paused and looked straight at Rose and the Doctor with a wicked gleam in his eyes. "Their milk is extremely acidic to females."

She swallowed, a knot forming in the pit of her stomach.

"Gentleman!" Santa bellowed, clapping his hands together. "Seeing as how you're immune, you are not to assist in the actual milking process in anyway. The only thing _you_ are allowed to do is try and keep the flighty creatures as still as possible until your partner has filled her bucket up to the marked line. Now go!"

"Rose, I--" the Doctor started.

"I can't believe I have to milk a bloody cow or whatever the equivalent here is," she complained as she moved to file out into the arena with the remaining teams.

"You're not worried?" he asked, hurrying to keep up.

"Nah. I've got you." She flashed him a winning smile, trusting that he would be able to keep the creature still so that she could do her part safely. She ignored the unease that had crept into her veins as Santa had described the rest of the challenge.

"Right, course." The Doctor nodded tersely, barely meeting her eyes.

 _Very reassuring, Doctor,_ she thought to herself.

.....

"How exactly do you milk a...laivache?" Rose asked, sitting on the edge of the low red stool she had been provided and staring at the udders of the animal before her. The laivaches proved to be similar enough to the cows of Earth, if a bit larger and a great deal rounder. Their coat was thicker and was a light pink color. Three angular black markings were on their backs, the one located at their shoulders extending over their head and down around their necks, their pink faces and bright blue eyes giving the impression of peaking out from a hood. The biggest difference were the three whip like tails that were in constant motion, each one ending with a sharp, flattened triangle.

"The same way you milk a cow," the Doctor replied from his post at the head of the creature.

"And how's that then?" she asked after a small pause.

His head peeked from around the laivache's, his eyebrows nearly into his hairline. "You don't know how to milk a cow?"

"I grew up on the estate, Doctor." she turned to look at him, trying to keep her irritation in check. They were in one of the five green stalls that had been set up in the arena, the wooden walls preventing her from being able to simply watch one of the other computers and then do as they did. She couldn't help the snide comment from tumbling past her lips, "Not exactly prime farm country."

"Yes, but...I thought..." He shifted on his feet, his elven shoes kicking up dust from the dirt floor.

"That what? I was gymnast by day, cow farmer by night?"

"Well, no. It sounds ridiculous when you put it that way."

"Do you think?" Rose crossed her arms, glaring in his direction.

He angled his head as if he was peering at her over nonexistent glasses. "Your sarcasm is warranted, but not appreciated in this circumstance."

"You're the one who assumed I knew how to milk a bloody cow." She titled her head, a thought occurring to her. "Don't you know?"

He blinked. "Me?"

"No, the cow--er, laivache." She rolled her eyes. They were wasting precious time arguing, all the other teams appeared to have at least started filling their buckets judging by the pinging noises in the background. "Yes, you."

"I'm a Time Lord, not a _farmer_ ," the Doctor sniffed, wrinkling his nose.

"Just because you never _had_ to do it, doesn't mean you don't know _how_ it's done."

He opened his mouth then clicked it shut again. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath then letting it out in a whoosh. "Right," he said, his eyes flying open. She smiled as she noticed the shift of demeanor and waited for the oncoming lecture. "First, you'll want to grip diagonal teats. You _could_ start with the two directly in front of you, but then you'd more than likely have to switch sides to reach the other two once the first pair have been emptied. That will take up more time than we probably have so forget I told you that. Diagonal works best."

Rose bit her lip, looking at the laivache's udder and slowly reached her hands up.

"Wait, let me finish."

She was growing impatient but dropped her hands and turned to listen.

"Your grip and technique are very important. Especially in this breed since their milk is harmful to you and these stupid elves couldn't bother to even give you a pair of protective gloves. Anyway, you'll want to grip the base of the teat between your thumb and forefinger. It's usually easiest to alternate hands once you begin expressing the milk, sort of helps establish a steady and hopefully comforting rhythm. You'll want to sequentially squeeze down your fingers, like a ripple, not all at once. The key is to be gentle, yet firm. And whatever you do, don't yank."

Rose nodded, taking in the information and surprisingly not feeling overwhelmed by his bombardment of instructions. Still, she was nervous. Having her first time be on a creature whose milk was a danger to her did nothing to help her nerves.

She tentatively reached her hands out. The lightest touch caused the laivache to move, a disgruntled snort making her jerk her hands back. She tried again, getting the same result.

"Doctor, you've got to keep her still," Rose said between clenched teeth.

"I'm trying!" he insisted. "I don't think she likes me very much, to be honest."

"You need to figure something out or we might as well quit."

"Suggestions?" he shot back.

"I don't know," she said in frustration, leaning away from the laivache as it stomped irritably. "Stroke its nose. Sing it a song. _Something_."

Rose heard him muttering to the animal, telling it all the reasons why it _should_ like him. She waited impatiently till it stopped moving its feet before she reached out and tried again. This time she was able to grasp two of the teats with minimal movement from the animal. The skin was soft and warm against her palms. She would have never guessed that the substance within would be such a hazard.

Holding her breath, she squeezed with both hands. The laivache let out an irritated grunt, sounding like a cross between a cow and an elephant, and its tails flailed dangerously close to Rose's shoulder. She jerked her hands away, swearing under her breath.

"Rose?" The Doctor's voice was thick with concern.

"Sorry, I'm fine," she assured quickly. "That was my fault."

"What did you do?"

"I--could you just make her not so fidgety. It makes me nervous."

"Rose Tyler, are you afraid of a cow?" She could tell he was trying to keep his tone light and teasing, but she knew him too well. He was just as nervous as she was.

She took a deep breath, his words putting the situation in a different perspective. "You're right. This is ridiculous. We've faced loads of things worse than this." She rolled her shoulders, willing herself to relax. It was just a cow. Sort of.

A soft, soothing tune reached her ears. She closed her eyes, letting the music wash over her and calm her. There were no words, or none that she recognized anyway, but the melody was beautiful and peaceful. It took her a moment to realize that the warm timbre she was hearing belonged to the Doctor.

Rose opened her eyes and smiled in his direction. He wasn't paying attention, he was too busy humming and stroking the laivache's face as he swayed gently on the spot. That was fine by her. She could compliment him later. Right now she had a job to do.

Placing her hands in position once more, the laivache didn't even flinch. This time when she began to squeeze she kept the Doctor's advice in mind, using only one hand at a time. She fought the urge to shout in triumph as a thin stream of pale pink liquid squirted into the metal bucket.

She set up a slow but steady rhythm in time to the Doctor's humming. In the back of her mind, she was worried about how far behind they were compared to the other teams. She pushed the doubts aside, no point in worrying about it when there was no way to tell and nothing she could do to change it. Nothing but keep up her pace and hope for the best.

After reaching the halfway mark, Rose switched which teats she was grabbing. Now that the laivache was calm, she was able to think of the animal as more of a gentle giant and didn't want to be the cause of any discomfort.

Several minutes later, as Rose was nearing the fill line in her bucket, a shrill cry of pain pierced the air. She turned her head in the direction of the sound, everything seeming to happen at once. 

A female elf ran towards them, clutching her hand to her chest and screaming as she passed behind them. Despite the Doctor's best efforts, the commotion startled their laivache. Rose let go and scooted her stool back as the animal shuffled and thrashed its head, making distressed brays while he tried to calm it back down. One black hoof collided with their bucket full of milk.

Without thinking it through, Rose shot forward and grabbed the bucket to keep it from tipping over. Liquid sloshed over the side and landed on the base of her thumb. A burning sensation shot through her hand and up her arm, pain exploding in her head as the acidity ate through flesh. Holding her hand to her chest, she bit down on her tongue to keep from crying out and startling the creature further. In her mind she ran through every creative expletive combination she could come up with.

Taking several deep breaths, she pulled her hand away from her chest to survey the damage. The milk or acid or whatever it bloody was had left a crescent shape burn where the bottom of her thumb met her hand. The affected area had turned mostly black with a faint ring of red surrounding it. Her hand throbbed with each beat of her heart, gradually faded into nothing. Gingerly prodding at the edge of the burn, her stomach sank when she felt nothing in the injured hand. A tiny part of her brain told her that was normal, the third degree burns often caused extensive nerve damage that meant feeling no pain. She didn't want to think about why she knew that. She swallowed, trying to ignore the faint smell of burning flesh that reached her nostrils and made her stomach churn.

"You alright?" the Doctor asked.

She jerked her head around and hurriedly hid her hand from his view. "Yup. Fine. Just peachy."

He gave her a hard stare and she forced a smile.

"I know you're lying."

"Fine," Rose huffed. "But...after, yeah? I'm almost finished."

He didn't verbalize an answer, just nodded his head once then went back to soothing the leivache.

Rose gritted her teeth, choosing to use the dull ache in her hand as a metronome instead of letting it hinder her. It was an odd feeling, the discomfort coming from the area surrounding the burn instead of directly from the source. She was sure to get an earful from the Doctor once all was said and done. After a few short minutes that seemed to drag on, she had finally hit their mark. Carefully, she pulled the bucket out from beneath the laivache, then stood up.

"All done!" she said, forcing extra happiness into her voice in an effort to distract him.

"Brilliant!" The Doctor patted the laivache fondly on the snout then walked around towards her. "Now, would you like to tell me--"

" _After_." She should have known better. There was no way he would forget about her earlier outburst and then insisting there was nothing to worry about when there very much was. Not that she could blame him. She would be the same way if their positions were reversed. She gave him the best reason she could think of. "I think we are one of the last to finish and I don't want to chance it." She glared at him defiantly, not wanting to waste time with an argument.

"This is the last _after_ that you get," he growled, pointing at her. She nodded as he brushed past her to pick up the bucket. His cloud of irritation and the way he marched purposefully toward the judges tent, knowing she would follow, was made less threatening by his outfit. Her lips twitched in a smile, but her stomach knotted as she walked after him and looked down at her hand.

He was going to be furious.

.....

"Are you going to ignore me all evening?" Rose finally asked after what seemed like an eternity, even though it had only been an hour and twenty minutes. For them, that _was_ an eternity of not talking. Especially when he was right there in the cell next to hers. The elves were against touching not bloody talking to each other.

"I can't believe you kept that from me," he murmured.

Rose winced, the hurt evident in his voice and making her guilt return full force. She had finally shown him her injury once they had given their bucket to the officials and sat down to wait for the results. Just like she had expected, he had been irate. She had been able to feel the anger and hurt rolling off of him. The worst part was that he hadn't yelled or shouted or exploded at her about being an irresponsible, jeopardy friendly idiot of a human being.

He had simply taken her hand, his eyes widening, examined it...then stalked off. Oh, he had returned moments later with some sort of local salve that would prevent it from getting infected but he had remained painfully silent.

"I didn't _keep_ it from you," Rose said, not entirely sure what else to say at this point. "I just...postponed telling you."

He snorted. "Now you're just arguing semantics."

She sighed, plopping down on her bed and leaning back against the wall. "I _am_ sorry. But it'll get better, yeah? With that stuff you put on it?"

"Rose, you have a third degree burn the size of a golf ball on your hand. That salve only helped prevent any possible swelling and to ensure the area won't get infected. They should be giving you proper medical attention. Without actual treatment your hand will only partially heal. Your skin is not going to grow back."

"I think they were a little busy with the poor elf who had her hand singed off," she deflected, not wanting to think too much about what he was implying.

"That could have been you," he reminded her.

"Well, it wasn't. We passed and I'm fine."

"The only reason we succeeded was because that woman no longer had enough hands, or wits, to finish," the Doctor said bitterly. "If we were in the TARDIS, or even if they would let me have my sonic, I could heal your hand properly."

Rose's heart clenched, recognizing the signs that he was jumping back aboard the intense guilt train. "Don't do that, this is _not_ your fault."

"But if I--"

"I said don't," she repeated forcefully. She held her breath, waiting for his response.

"Your mother is going to kill me."

"It'll just be a tiny little scar on my hand." She looked down at the injury, the black skin contrasting with the bright red satin of her jim jams and frowned. "Ok, maybe not tiny. But I still have my hand, she'll be fine." She paused,trying to imagine what her hand was going to look like after it had healed without any further treatment. What would the jagged scar tissue feel like? Doubts and insecurities bubbled up inside her. "You'll still hold my hand, won't you?"

"What? Why would you--that's a ridiculous question. Yes, of course I will."

"Just...wanted to be sure."

"You never have to doubt that. Ever," the Doctor said softly, the tenderness in his voice reassuring her that he was telling the truth. She hated not being able to see his face.

"Are you still mad at me?"

"Yes....No, not really." She heard him sigh from somewhere in his room. "But next time could you please tell me immediately? You can't regenerate or heal the way I can. I don't want you putting off telling me about an injury in case it's something serious that requires immediate attention."

"Alright, alright," she agreed. She closed her eyes, the need to sleep creeping up on her. It was odd. She'd been sleeping less lately, on average, but hadn't felt any less refreshed when she woke. Last night's sleep had been _very_ good, yet her body was urging her to close her eyes, and now. She yawned, laying down properly in her bed and adjusting the covers.

"Are you going to sleep?" the Doctor called.

"Yeah, my eyes don't want to sleep open. I mean...stay open." She yawned again and closed her eyes, curling up on her side.

His soft chuckle eased the remaining tension in her muscles. "Probably the adrenaline leaving your system. Good night, Rose."

"Good night, my Doctor," she mumbled into her pillow. That was it, she thought as she drifted off to sleep, lack of adrenaline...

.....

When Rose woke up the morning from her deep sleep, she stretched her body leisurely in bed then rubbed at her eyes. Her hand didn't ache. Didn't even feel sore. She held it before her face to see how bad it looked.

She blinked, bringing up her other hand and flipping them both over, examining the fronts and backs.

_What the..._

The skin on her hand was perfectly smooth, not a trace of a burn. It was as if she had never been injured at all. She opened her mouth to call out to the Doctor, but hesitated. Maybe yesterday had been a dream? Should she really bring attention to this? It wasn't an injury anymore per se...but it definitely wasn't normal.

For her.

For a human.

"Doctor..."


	16. Sorry, Did You Just Say Bad Wolf?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta'd all mistakes are mine. Again, thank you for your patience with this (and all my other fics). I actually have the next few chapters written, a couple still need edited, but the big challenge has been my internet. I want to burn it.

"What do you mean your burn is gone?" the Doctor asked, trying to keep the panicky edge out of his voice. There was no way that Rose's injury could have just vanished overnight. The glaringly obvious answer was also the same answer he was blatantly ignoring. It was _impossible_.

"I mean it's just...gone," she replied. "Like it never happened."

"Look closely, Rose. There's no scar tissue? No discoloration? Nothing?" He held his breath while he waited, pacing back and forth in his room and running a hand through his hair every other pass.

After a painstaking two seconds, she spoke again. "Doctor, I'm telling you there is nothing there."

He froze, his hand slowing down as it twisted through his hair, no doubt making it stand on end. This was decidedly not good. Extremely,  
very not good.

"Could it have been the salve?" she asked tentatively.

Placing one hand on his hip and dragging the other over his face while he shook his head, he began pacing again. He knew it wasn't the salve. He knew exactly what the cause was, no matter how hard he tried to deny it. There was a lack of conviction in her voice that told him she didn't believe it to be the salve either. He wasn't surprised. Rose had never been an idiot, and if what he thought was happening was actually happening then there was definitely no fooling her on this.

So why would she even ask? Because she was giving him an out? No, not an out. She was trusting him to tell her the truth.

He walked to an empty section of wall near the door so that she would be able to hear him and rested his head against the gold surface. He frowned, the gold reminding him of the time vortex and regeneration energy even though the shades were different. He felt sick to his stomach, this was never supposed to happen. Especially not to Rose. As much as he wanted to lie, and maybe would have in a past life, he couldn't do that to her. She'd be able to tell he was lying through his teeth anyway.

"You know as well as I do, the salve has nothing to do with this," he muttered dejectedly.

"So...then what was it?"

His mind raced down a hundred different paths, trying to pinpoint which scenario was the correct one. Just how much had her DNA been affected? He bounced his forehead against the wall. "It's impossible to tell for sure without running a few tests. None of which I can do here. _All_ of which I could easily do on the TARDIS."

"Well, we aren't on the TARDIS," Rose reminded him bluntly. "So how about you tell me your best guess."

"Guess?" He pushed his head away from the wall, staring at a tiny bubble in the paint.

"Yeah. Your scientific _opinion_."

"Well, the instance of your hand is fairly easy." The Doctor scratched at the back of his neck, voicing what happened without explaining the how or why. "Your body healed itself."

"But my body can't do that," Rose snapped, making him flinch. He heard her take a steadying breath. "Not that rapidly or that good anyway. I'm not a Time Lord."

"Exactly." He really should just tell her what he had been suspecting since their stay here. He was loathe to do so when he didn't have all the answers.

"So...?" she pressed.

"Something has been tweaking your biology," he offered before pausing to look up at the ceiling, tongue curled up to touch the roof of his open mouth. "And this is really not how I wanted to have this conversation."

"What do you mean? This only just happened." He could practically hear the gears turning in her head as she worked it all out. "You knew?"

Well, that didn't take long. For the first time he was thankful for the wall that separated them. This way she wouldn't be able to slap him, even though he probably deserved it. Ok, definitely deserved it. More importantly he couldn't see the disappointment or hurt that was more than likely in her eyes. His imagination was already doing a brilliant job on that end.

"I wouldn't say I _knew_ ,” he said defensively. “That implies that I know exactly what's going on and that I've been withholding information about you from, well, you. I'd say more along the lines of suspected, or entertained the idea once or twice. Or had a really good hunch."

"Yeah, well do you care to share with the rest of the class now?” A heartsbeat passed. When Rose spoke again her tone was bitter. “Or am I not worthy?"

 _Fuck_.

"That's not...it has nothing to do with that." He softly banged his forehead against the wall once before resting it there again. How could he explain it to her? Too late he saw how from every angle, no matter what he told her, he had mucked the whole thing up. He drew in a shaky breath, hating the wall he was thankful for mere seconds ago. "I just...didn't ever think that this would be a possibility. I mean, obviously some part of my impressive brain did consider it. But the probability of it was so low, one in...oh, 7 billion. And that's actually being fairly generous."

"Doctor, what are you talking about?" she asked in irritation. "Odds of _what_ happening?"

He rolled his head on the wall so that his back was now resting against the flat surface. "I swear to you, I thought I had removed it. All of it."

"Are you saying I have some sort of disease? Or--or infection?"

"No, nothing like that. Not really." If he was being honest with himself, that's how he viewed it. But scientifically speaking that description was inaccurate. Although, he could probably make a good argument in favor of either of those things. An argument she probably didn't want to hear at the moment, considering he still hadn't really answered her question.

"Then what, Doctor?" Rose pressed.

"The time vortex,” he mumbled.

"Bad Wolf?" she asked quietly.

"Yup." He waited for the outburst that was sure to follow.

"So the exposure to the time vortex has been slowly altering my genetic makeup to make me what? Part Time Lord?"

"I don't know that I would say that," he responded automatically. "It really is impossible to tell."

"Without looking at a sample of my DNA you mean?"

"Er, yes." He was getting anxious, the anger he had been waiting to be on the receiving end of still not coming. She was taking this too well. Did she not understand the implications? Probably best to apologize now anyway. "I'm sorry, Rose. I'm so sorry."

"Why? I'm not," she stated matter of factly.

Well, that wasn't what he was expecting. "But--"

"Alright you two," an unfamiliar voice called from down the hall. "That's enough yapping. Get dressed. You'll be eating breakfast with the other teams this morning. You have two minutes."

"We can finish later," Rose said quietly before the Doctor could speak. "And I know saying it probably isn't going to change anything, but don't guilt yourself over this. It's not your fault."

She was right. Of course she was.

Her telling him not to, didn't change a thing--all he felt was guilt.

.....

They found themselves back in the same briefing room adjacent to the arena. This morning, a long table had been set up in the middle of the room with eight chairs lining only one side of the table, facing a blank wall. The Doctor looked to Rose, who shrugged and headed to a seat at the far end of the table. He followed and sat down beside her, still feeling guilty about...whatever was happening to her. Not that he didn't _know_ , because he had no doubts now as to what was causing it. However, he didn't know the extent of the changes going on, that's what really bothered him. Usually he enjoyed not knowing, it meant discovering new things, but not in this case. If only they could get to the TARDIS.

The other teams came into the room, taking their own seats. The Doctor slumped in his chair, not wanting to face the day's event, whatever stupid thing it was. He wanted to be far away from here; in the TARDIS with Rose, figuring out what was wrong with her. Maybe he could even fix it.

When their food was brought out, he picked at it, eating only a couple of bites. He barely noticed when Barnaby entered the room and didn't even have the energy to get angry at the irritating little elf as he spouted off about what their next challenge was. Something about swords and a mock battle and....did it really matter?

All he could think about was Rose. He'd asked too much of her already, made her give up everything for this life of adventure that could very well get her killed at any moment. And now it was evident that her basic biology was changing, to who knew what degree, all because of him. Him and his stupid idea to send Rose away with the bloody TARDIS. He'd been traveling with her for a year, did he really think she was just going to sit idly on the sidelines? The next time he ran into his Ninth self, he was going to slap him. Maybe he'd sick Jackie on him...

Nevermind that he hadn't really had much choice at the time. And nevermind the fact that in looking into the heart of the TARDIS, Rose had been able to save his life. Completely irrelevant and not the point--that's what he tried to tell himself.

The lights in the room dimmed, making the Doctor look around in confusion. He sat up a little straighter, uncrossing his arms and resting his hands on his thighs. Rose's hand slipped under the table and covered one of his own, squeezing it gently. When he turned towards her, she was watching the blue rectangle of light that had appeared on the wall in front of them.

"Stop guilt tripping yourself and _pay attention_ ," she muttered, her warning carrying a light teasing tone.

"Sorry," he whispered back, hooking his thumb over her pinky. He didn't try and hide his guilt from her or project any false emotion over the small temporary link. He knew they wouldn't be able to sit like this for long, one of the officials was bound to walk behind them at some point. Instead, he shut his eyes, letting the warmth of her love spread through him and ease some of the tension from his muscles.

In a previous time, he would have shut himself off, believing he wasn't worthy of any sort of affection from her, let alone _love_. But he had come to know the true meaning of "better with two" and that receiving her love didn't mean he had to be perfect. He still guilted himself over a lot of things, far more than he knew she would like him to, but he had been that way for so long it was a hard habit to break. Honestly, it was probably an inherent character trait that she would just have to accept. He knew she would do so in a heartbeat, while also doing everything she could to make it more bearable.

As the blue light on the wall flickered, the sound of footsteps approaching caused Rose to jerk her hand back. The Doctor sighed, leaning forward and propping his head up on the table with his hands. The official walked behind them before coming around to walk the length of the table on the opposite side. The elf gave them a sideways glance but didn't say a word.

He watched with interest as a video began playing on the wall, displaying what he guessed to be the activity Barnaby had been blabbing about earlier. Two figures on the screen bowed to each other. They were each dressed in loose, white linen garments with a red sash around their waist. What held his attention were the scimitars in their hands. As they righted themselves, an outside party placed blindfolds on both people. A lively, dramatic tune started up and the two people began circling each other. The Doctor appreciated the skill and precision with which the pair performed. After all, they were now carrying out an elaborate dance without being able to see the other, blades clanging to the beat as they acted out a battle.

Once the video ended, Barnaby returned to the front and gave them further instructions, his chest puffed out in self importance. "That, ladies and gentleman, is the Danse Macabre.”

“How original,” the Doctor muttered sarcastically.

Barnaby’s eyes darted around the room, narrowing when his gaze fell on the Doctor, who smiled innocently. The elf snorted in disgust then looked away. “This is the dance you will all have to perform. The arena has been sectioned off into four areas, one for each team. You may watch the video as many times as you need for reference. After a short lunch break, an expert will be coming around to help you perfect your performance. This evening you will be judged and ranked accordingly. Any questions?"

An elf near the opposite end of the table with red hair raised his hand. 

"Yes?" Barnaby asked, rolling his eyes in the other elf's direction.

The elf lowered his hand, looking up and down the table. "Um, will we be blindfolded as well?"

"Tell me, whatever your name is, did you watch the video?"

"Y-yes."

Barnaby made a show of looking at his fingernails. "Were there blindfolds in the video?"

"Well, yes. But--"

"Is that not the dance that I just got through saying you would be performing?"

"Yes, but--"

"Then yes, you will be blindfolded!" Barnaby shouted, his face turning red. 

"He's an angry elf," Rose whispered, earning a faint smirk from the Doctor.

"Now, if there are no more _stupid_ questions, you are dismissed."

Being nearest to the door, the Doctor and Rose were the first to enter the arena. Four large green canopies had been set up around the outer edges. They headed to the closest canopy on the right. He wished he had pockets to shove his hands into while he walked. His brain was slowly switching gears, the part still stuck on guilt wanting him to hunch his shoulders and pout.

They discussed strategy as they walked, not taking long to come to an agreement. Watch the video, practice the steps (sans swords and blindfolds) until they had that down, add in the swords, then lastly incorporate the blindfolds. While he was a touch anxious about twirling around Rose with a blade when he wouldn't be able to see a bloody thing, he was also immensely glad to have something to focus on other than Bad Wolf.


	17. Show Me Your Moves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta'd, all mistakes are mine.

Underneath the canopy they found a wide white circle drawn in the ground (no doubt where they would practice and perform), a wooden table with a viewing screen on its surface, and a changing stall.

"I take it this means we will be wearing those white outfits from the video, yeah?" Rose asked as they took in the set up.

The Doctor looked at her, his eyes lighting up and a smile spreading over his face. "I'm changing, _right now_."

She bit her lip, gazing intently at him. He grinned wider, willing her not to say whatever she was thinking and just go with his mood shift. He did not want to talk about _that_. Not now. Well, preferably not ever but he knew that wasn't an option.

Rolling her eyes, Rose returned his smile. "Go on then," she said, jerking her head in the direction of the changing stall.

He made a small delighted sound then chanced a quick peck on her cheek before heading to the small tent. Sure enough, there were two matching white outfits waiting inside. He closed his eyes and took a couple deep breaths before removing the elf costume he couldn't wait to burn. As he stripped down to just his pants, he vowed to leave all thoughts of Bad Wolf in here with the mass of red and green holiday get up.

The white trousers sat low on his hips and fit looser than his usual attire. He pulled the shirt, well tunic really, on over his head next. It fit loosely like the trousers, the sleeves coming to his wrists and the bottom hem falling just below his bum. There was a slit down the front that allowed enough of a glimpse of his chest that he was sure Rose would find it slightly distracting.

Would hers have the exact same design? Now that... _that_ would be distracting. How would he be able to concentrate with her breasts taunting him like that? Maybe the blindfolds were a blessing in disguise.

Shaking himself mentally, trying not to think about Rose's body (preferably naked), the Doctor grabbed the red sash. He was just finishing securing the knot around his waist when he caught sight of his elf hat on top of his pile of discarded clothes. The abomination had probably given him hat hair. There was no mirror to tell for sure. Best just to be safe and fluff it up. He plunged both hands into his hair and jostled the strands randomly, hoping for the best.

He stepped out of the stall and spread his arms wide, wiggling his bare toes in the soft dirt. "Elven tailors strike again."

Rose turned from where she was standing by the table to face him. He watched as her eyes trailed down his body then slowly back up, lingering on his sliver of exposed chest. When she finally met his gaze, he rolled his tongue inside his mouth and shot her a cocky grin.

"Yeah, yeah. You're very impressive," she relented with a smile. "Now will you get over here so we can watch this?"

"What? No. Absolutely not." He shook his head vigorously as he approached her.

"And just why not?" She placed her hands on her hips, her eyes flashing.

The Doctor groaned. "See, this--this is exactly why not." He gestured to her body with a sweeping movement of his hand.

She arched an eyebrow. "Doctor, you do remember that will be wearing blindfolds, yeah?"

" _Eventually_. Initially, we will have full use of both eyes. Meaning I'll be able to view in great detail the way that short skirt twirls around your bum. If you want me to be focusing on learning this dance, then I suggest you change before we start. You'll have to do so eventually anyway. Might as well practice in the right attire."

"You're impossible," she muttered fondly.

He walked behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders, steering her in the direction of the changing stall. Leaning forward, he whispered in her ear, "You like it."

She spun around, taking him by surprise and making him drop his hands. Looking up at him with a flirtatious gleam in her eyes, she reached up and ran a hand through his hair. His lids fluttered, on the verge of closing, and he couldn't help but lean into her touch.

"You missed a spot," Rose breathed out.

His eyes flew open in time to catch her coy wink before she spun on her heel and walked to the changing stall, swaying her hips far more than he knew was practical or necessary. He clenched his fists at his side. Damn this place and their no touching rule. The other night had been brilliant, fantastic, even though he hadn't actually had his own orgasm. The euphoria that had swept through Rose and then to him had been more than enough and more than worth it. Yet since then, he'd felt wound too tight--ready to snap at any moment. And by snap he meant shag Rose senseless against the nearest surface. Even if that surface was Santa's desk.

Oh, now there's a thought...Maybe they could put that on the to do list before they burnt Santa's castle to the ground. _To do_ list. He chuckled at his own joke, then nearly choked when Rose stepped out of the changing stall.

"That bad?" she asked, walking over to him and looking down at her outfit. Once again, Rose proved that she could make anything look _great_. He was willing to bet his left arm that she could make a bin bag look devastatingly attractive. The loose fit of the garment only made his brain work harder to conjure up the details of what he knew she looked like underneath. The red sash accentuated her waist to perfection, and he was both delighted and terrified to find that her top did indeed having a matching dip in the collar.

"Keep your mouth open that long I wager you'll catch a fly or two," she teased with a tongue touched smile.

The Doctor clicked his jaw shut and swallowed audibly. He wanted to tell her how beautiful she was, but was afraid that if he did he would somehow end up shagging her right there on the ground. She smirked and bumped his shoulder with her own.

"How do they keep it so warm in here?" She wrinkled her brow, looking down at her bare feet. "It was freezing on our way over and I don't recall seeing a ceiling on the place."

"Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it's not there." The topic change forced him to focus on the present instead of ripping her clothes off.

"Ah, invisible biodome of some sort," she reasoned.

"Basically yes," he said slowly.

Rose glanced at him then cleared her throat. "Right. So...shall we?" she pointed at the screen.

He nodded. The trouble with Rose was, when it came to certain areas of knowledge, he couldn't always be sure how much was _Rose_ and how much was Bad Wolf. Oh, she was intelligent to be sure, often far more than people gave her credit for. But this whole mess was making him overly paranoid in regards to just how much of her DNA and abilities had been altered.

 _Stop it_ , he ordered himself. Those thoughts needed go back to where they belonged--in the jumbled pile of clothes left in the changing stall. Knowing Rose, she wouldn't have bothered to fold her elf costume into its own neat bundle. No doubt the clothes were scattered in the small changing space. It was only fitting that if they couldn't physically touch, then their clothes would tangle together on their behalf.

.....

The Doctor and Rose spent twenty minutes watching the video, and another twenty practicing the steps while the video was playing. Satisfied that they at least knew the footwork, they decided to give it a go without worrying about what their hands should be doing. In truth, the Doctor was very worried about what his hands should be doing. More than once he caught himself reaching further than need be to brush his fingers over some part of her--unfortunately it was mostly just her hands.

Even after they decided to start incorporating the arm movements, there was a certain lightness to the atmosphere. They giggled and laughed at each other as they moved around the circle. After all, one is bound to look amusing when going through the motions of sword fighting without holding an actual sword.

The mood changed when they felt comfortable enough to add in the scimitars, shining gold hilts and curved blades of gleaming silver. The humor evaporated out of existence and he could sense Rose's unease at holding the weapon as she stood across from him in the circle.

"Don't think of it as a weapon," he began, attempting to soothe her nerves. "Think of it more as...a really long stick. Or--or a baton!"

"Right," she replied ruefully, staring at the blade in her hands. "A stick that could cut your hand off."

"Wouldn't be the first time." He held up his right hand and wiggled his fingers.

Rose's lips twitched. "But this time it won't grow back."

"Maybe not initially," he allowed, tugging on his ear. "Eventually though...I'm bound to regenerate at some point."

"Yeah, don't want to think about that right now, ta."

"Sorry. But really Rose, you can't be afraid of it. That will only--"

"But what if I cut your whole arm off?" she interrupted.

"I've had worse," he said with a shrug and a slightly different accent.

She blinked. "Did you really quote Monty Python at me just now?"

"Maybe," he hedged. Walking over to where she stood, he mirrored her position and placed the tip of the scimitar into the dirt, keeping hold of the hilt. With his free hand he gently gripped her shoulder, brushing his thumb back and forth. "You need to loosen up. Yes, I am keenly aware that we are dealing with sharp, dangerous objects; however, being tense and overly anxious is honestly just going to make it harder and _more_ dangerous." He hunched his shoulders, forcing her to look him in the eye. "I don't recall you being so timid when you tossed me a sword on the Sycorax ship."

"I was helping," she mumbled.

He straightened up, frowning in mock offense and dropping his hand. "You still launched a sword at me."

"I wasn't blindfolded."

"You're not now either."

Rose blew out a shaky breath and nodded meekly. "Yeah, alright."

"Do you trust me?"

Her response was immediate. "With my life."

"There we are then."

"But--"

"No buts. I trust you with _all_ of mine. We can do this."

.....

Practicing had gone off mostly without a hitch. The only injury had been sustained by the Doctor, one he had only himself to blame. He had dropped his scimitar when Rose had threatened to tie him up with the blindfolds if he didn't stop twirling his sword around in the air like a right git. That of course had sent his brain along an _entirely_ different path causing him to drop his sword. Well, he said drop, but what he really meant was begin to drop. He had in fact reached out without thinking and attempted to catch the sword by the blade. Which of course resulted in him then completely dropping the scimitar and a bright red gash appearing on his hand.

Brilliant.

An official had happened to walk by and assist in bandaging him up. The cut wasn't all that deep and he knew it would heal within the hour. When Rose asked what had happened he merely pouted and insisted she didn't want to know. Yet.

When lunch arrived, they ate quickly while watching the video then went right back to work. After feeling like they were professional stunt doubles from the Lord of the Rings, they were ready to incorporate the blindfolds. The expert came around as the Doctor retrieved the strips of fabric from the table. The elf insisted on first seeing their performance without the blindfolds. The Doctor didn't see why, but after an affirmative from Rose he agreed anyway.

The short, even tempered fellow revolutionized their next phase by having them simply close their eyes. The added security of being able to open their eyes if they felt unsure visibly relaxed Rose and the Doctor kicked himself for not thinking of that himself.

Upon finally completing the entire mock battle without either one of them opening their eyes, the expert congratulated them and informed them it was time for him to move on to the next team. The Doctor thanked him for being the first decent elf involved in this whole nonsense. Cornelius didn't count, he tried to stay as uninvolved with the games as possible.

He was taken aback when Rose suggested they start using the blindfolds. Feeling nervous but knowing they needed to do so before they were actually judged, the Doctor silently grabbed them off the table.

Before he knew it, he was bowing to Rose to signal the beginning of their final performance. This was it, the moment of truth. As long as they made it through this go round alive, he would consider themselves lucky.

The Doctor flicked a glance at the judges who stood on the sidelines, waiting for them to start, before looking back at Rose. He gave her the most reassuring smile he could before the hesitant light of her returning smile was extinguished by black fabric. The steady beat of the music filled his ears, punctuated by the occasional clang of steel and the scraping of feet in the dirt. His hearts beat rapidly in his chest and his grip on the scimitar was growing damp. At one point he heard Rose's blade slice through the air closer to his ear than it should have been. Anger was not part of his reaction, fear that he had (or would) do the same sent a chill down his spine.

The Doctor let the last clash of their scimitars echo in his ears as was required. The instant the sound died he ripped the blindfold off his face. He hadn't felt any extra resistance while carving his sword in the air or heard any shouts of pain, but he had to be sure. He _needed_ to see her.

The hint of panic in her eyes as she scrutinized his appearance from two paces away told him she felt the same.


	18. I'm Going to Die

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta'd, all mistakes are mine.

Rose lay on her side in bed later that evening staring at her hand. They had placed second in the day's sword dancing event. Apart from some minor cuts and scrapes, all the teams had survived the event alive and in one piece. A bloody miracle, she thought to herself.

She had told the Doctor that she was going to sleep an hour ago. She had tried to do so, several times. Her body felt fatigued from moving and using muscles in a way she never had before. Her mind, however, was still going strong, like she had been snoozing all day instead being worried about chopping the Doctor's arm off. Or worse.

She sighed and flopped over onto her stomach, burying her face in the pillow. She knew that the Doctor was still awake, he had always needed less sleep. All she would have to do would be to whisper his name and he'd be willing to talk her ear off until she drifted into unconsciousness.

But she didn't feel much like talking. He had her wondering about Bad Wolf, something she hadn't really thought about in a long while. Could that be why she wasn't as tired as she normally would be? She told herself it was silly, that is was probably just the adrenaline lingering in her system.

_So what about my hand?_

There had to be some other explanation. Maybe the elves had nanogenes and she was asleep when they did their handiwork. Seems logical enough.

Try as she might to deny it and explain everything away as a result of some other phenomenon, she wasn't so sure.

Rose had meant what she had told the Doctor that morning. _If_ Bad Wolf had changed her, she wasn't sorry in the slightest. It had to be change for the better.

Maybe tomorrow he would be willing to talk about it without feeling so guilty.

.....

Rose was rudely awoken by Barnaby and told not to worry about changing her clothes, just to get moving. Grumbling, she got out of bed and slipped on the only pair of shoes she had, her elf ones. She probably looked more ridiculous now than in her complete elf attire--with her red silk jim jams, elf shoes, and her hair no doubt a disheveled mess.

As she stretched and walked to the door, where a very impatient Barnaby was waiting, the Doctor repeatedly asked what was going on, demanding to know where they were taking her.

Barnaby pushed her forward, his only answer was that they would find out soon enough.

.....

The Doctor was brought his breakfast and told to get dressed as if nothing were amiss. He paced in his cell, seething, waiting for someone to tell him where they had taken Rose. Her abrupt departure had left an unpleasant knot in his stomach. And while he reasoned that they wouldn't just _take_ her for nefarious purposes, he wouldn't entirely put it past the crazy Santa. Then again, the old man probably had more faith that his twisted games would take care of them so that he didn't have to get his hands dirty.

When he was finally escorted to the briefing room, the elf who came to fetch him walked entirely too slow. The Doctor was itching to run, yet didn't want to appear to be making a break for it. He settled for seeing how close he could tread behind the man without literally stepping on his heels.

Once he entered the room, he was relieved to see the other two remaining male contestants were also missing their female counterpart. Their heads jerked in his direction, faces falling when they discovered it was only him and not their other halves. He couldn't blame them. He was just as anxious to see what had happened to Rose.

Santa arrived, marching to the front as usual. "Well, gentlemen. I'm sure you're all wondering where those female partners of yours have disappeared to. You'll find them soon, if you’re worthy. Today's event is all on your shoulders. It’s only fair that you have to do something when they already had to put everything on the line. Today they’re playing damsel in distress, and you shall have to _leap_ to their rescue."

The Doctor refrained from any smart remarks. They would have to had put Rose in chains, she was no damsel in distress.

.....

Rose huddled up at the top of the ice peak that had been constructed overnight with the two remaining female elves. They had met in the briefing room earlier and had been informed that their role in today's event was simple. Sit at the top of the peak while their partners would have to leap to their rescue. Oh, and they were all left in their jim jams with one thin blanket between them and told not to freeze.

Charming.

The landing of sorts that they were on had a small overhang that provided minimal shelter from the bitter wind whipping through her hair. The way down was around a path directly behind them, guarded by an official who wasn't to let them pass unless they were accompanied by their partner.

Rose walked to the edge of the cliff and looked out. There was a wide canyon between her and where she assumed the Doctor would be starting from. In reality, they weren't that high up. High enough to where a fall could still potentially kill you, but she reasoned that the biting cold was most likely a result from tweaking the atmosphere in the arena as opposed to altitude.

Rock features growing upwards from the bottom of the divide dotted the empty space, creating three distinct paths from one side to the other. The makeshift platforms were spaced strategically apart, facilitating the need for leaping from one to the other. She swallowed, catching the way the surfaces shimmered in the sunlight. They were covered in ice.

The path on her left had platforms that were further apart than the other two. There was no doubt in her mind that it had been done on purpose in the name of being fair, preventing the Doctor from using his height and longer stride to his advantage. Made sense. She just wondered if it had really been done fairly or if the powers that be had pushed the limits a bit.

Huffing, Rose turned away from the edge and shuffled back to where the two elves sat. This was ridiculous. She was going to slap Jack for making her play damsel in distress.

.....

In a brilliant stroke of luck, the Doctor was allowed to change out of his elf outfit once again. He was given a dark green set of clothes that resembled a 20th century Earth track suit. Only instead of brand emblems making a contrast against the green, these were emblazoned with golden reindeer. A durable, yet light, set of black snow boots completed the day's ensemble and he wished Rose was there so he could make a crack about the shoes not being red.

When he had entered the arena, he couldn't help but marvel at the drastic change in scenery. He had to hand it to them, they certainly knew how to take advantage of their biodome. Then of course he took in the details of said scenery. Santa had told them that they would be leaping. What he hadn't said was that they would be jumping from one small ice covered rock to the next to cross a bloody canyon.

Or that he would have half as many platforms as the two elves.

Logically, it made sense. His legs were almost twice as long. Still...he didn't like it.

The Doctor walked to the edge of his starting position and looked down. He could survive a fall that far. Probably. Maybe. Well, he could. He just might also come out of the depths an entirely new person. He backed up and rolled his shoulders then shook his arms out.

_Relax. Relax. Relax._

_Nothing to worry about. Just a Time Lord a leaping._

"Ew, I'm never thinking that again. That sounded _horrible_ ," he mumbled to himself.

The clear peel of a bell rang in through the arena, signaling to the contestants to be ready. He bent his knees slightly and held his arms a hands breadth away from his body, wiggling his fingers in the cool air.

The sound waves from the second bell toll bounced in his ears and rippled down his body, making every synapse fire off like a gunshot. He was dashing forward and launching himself into the air, letting his brain auto calculate the jump, before the other two contestants had even blinked.

His slid to a stop halfway across the first platform and exhaled a nervous laugh. More ice covered the surface than he thought, he'd have to be more careful. The adrenaline coursing through him like a raging river was more than enough to take the edge off his nerves. With another bubble of laughter, this one verging on what Rose would probably deem insanity, he continued making his way across the canyon.

Reaching the last platform, skidding barely to a stop before sliding off the opposite end, he could make out Rose's frantic eyes watching his every move like a hawk. He gave her a crooked grin then chanced a glance at the other two competitors. They were hot on his heels, only needing mere seconds to close the distance on his precarious lead.

The Doctor looked forward, judging the final gap. The elves each had one more platform whereas he would have to cover the distance in one long leap. He slowly backed to the end of the platform, needing every spare centimeter to build up enough momentum.

He took two deep breaths. It was now or never. Digging his feet into the ice, he dashed forward, waiting till the last possible second to push off and leap forward. His foot slipped at the precipice, costing him precious newtons of force. He reconfigured the calculations in his head.

He wasn't going to make it.


	19. I'll Give You Moves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta'd, all mistakes are mine. This chapter is nsfw. Just so's you know.

"Fuck this," Rose muttered as she shot to her feet and ran to the edge. She had seen the slip of his foot, seen the exact moment his brain had worked out that he wasn't going to complete the jump. 

That morning, her and the two elves hadn't _verbally_ been told they couldn't help their partner, even if she did get the idea they weren’t supposed to. But there was no way in hell she was going to sit and watch the Doctor scramble for purchase and come up short. She'd had a split second to rush to him as his upper body landed on the ledge, then proceeded to slide away.

He had slipped further and she could no longer see his head when she threw herself on her belly and grasped desperately at his rapidly retreating arms. Her hands gripped slick fabric and she panicked, thinking for sure he would literally slip through her fingers. His hands clamped around her arms, jerking her slightly over the edge so she could now see his face, dangling below her own.

"As always, your timing is impeccable," he said through gritted teeth, pressing his feet against the side of the cliff in an effort to boost himself up.

"Unlike your driving," she grumbled, hefting his weight upward as best she could.

"I thought for sure you would make a comment about my aim."

"Same difference."

Grunting, Rose helped the Doctor over the lip of the cliff. Once he was firmly on his feet, grinning at her like an idiot, she threw her arms around his neck. He briefly returned her embrace before gently pushing on her shoulders, holding her an arms length away. She blinked in confusion. He had almost fallen beyond her reach, a cruel reversal on the fate they had narrowly escaped thanks to Jack, and he was pushing her away?

“I would love to stand here and hold you, I really would, but we should move before the others do.” He gestured over his shoulder with his head. When Rose looked she saw the two male elves, neck and neck, making their last jump.

She met his gaze and nodded quickly. He grasped her hand and led her around the alcove where the female elves were still huddled under the blanket. The official standing guard moved quietly aside.

The way down was a winding path too narrow to allow them to walk side by side. The Doctor kept a firm grip on her hand as they went. She mentally reached out for his presence, finding his dwindling panic an odd reassurance.

It didn’t take long for them to make it back to the briefing room. Rose knew they would only have a few short minutes before the event would be declared over and they would no doubt be escorted back to their cells. So she decided to take full advantage of the time they had and the one uninterested official in the room.

“You git,” she snapped, smacking the Doctor on the back of the head.

“Ow!” He flinched, hand shooting up to rub the sore spot. “What was that for?”

“For giving me a heart attack.” She crossed her arms.

He dropped his hand and stepped closer. His eyes darkened the way they always did when the high emotions from a charged argument were on the verge of being released in a much different form of heat and passion. “Oh, and I suppose you thought that was fun for me?”

“Well--”

“You!” An irate voice cut her off. She turned to see Barnaby burst through the door. His face was flushed and he was pointing a finger in her direction as he stomped toward her.

“Me?” She placed a hand on her chest, looking between Barnaby and the Doctor with her brow furrowed.

“You know what you did,” the elf spat.

She had to fight back a giggle. He was clearly pissed about something, and trying to appear threatening, but his lack of stature was finding him coming up short.

“Sorry, mate. I have no idea what you are going on about.”

“ _You_ helped him. _You_ were not to assist your partner in any way. You two are disqualified!”

The Doctor stepped forward, ready to argue but she held up a hand. Pretending to consider, she bit her lower lip. “Was that said this morning?”

Barnaby’s mouth fell open. “What did you say?” he whispered.

“I said,” Rose drew out the word, as if she were talking to a child, and leaned towards him. “Was that _actually_ said this morning?”

His fists clenched and his nostrils flared as he tried to reign in his temper. “No,” he ground out, fire flashing in his eyes.

“So I was supposed to know that...how?”

“It was implied!” he spat.

Rose didn’t flinch, her calm outward appearance was making him more riled up. “But it wasn’t actually stated was it? So on what grounds are we disqualified?”

“Fine.” He whipped around to the other elf in the room. “Take her to solitary confinement.”

“Seriously?” She rolled her eyes.

“You can either spend the night in solitary or you can be disqualified. Which would you prefer?”

“Yeah, alright. Lead on.” She gave the Doctor a little wave on her way out. His only response was a half smile. He was looking in her direction but his eyes were focused elsewhere. If she didn’t know any better, she’d say he was forming a plan that was likely going to get them into trouble.

…..

The room for solitary wasn’t as cheerful as her usual cell. The color scheme was much the same, but muted and dull. A bed was the only piece of furniture in the room, several steps down in comfort from her other bed. She’d slept on worse. At least she was dressed for bed, still.

Walking over to the door, she wrapped her hands around the bars and gazed out at the dark, empty hallway. She had wanted to try and ask the Doctor about Bad Wolf. She wasn’t sure what answers he would be able to give as to how much she’d changed--that part could wait. She was really more curious as to why he felt so guilty over it. She had several ideas of her own, but it was a conversation they needed to have in order for them to clear the air.

She sighed. That clearly wasn’t going to happen tonight.

With nothing else to do, she took up the Doctor’s habit of pacing in hopes it would tire her restless mind. She let thoughts of Bad Wolf and Jack and what they could possibly have to face tomorrow over shadow thoughts of the Doctor. Thinking of his weary eyes and sad smile led to ways she could cheer him up, which invariably led to ways they could cheer each other up. Those sort of imaginings only made her skin burn for his touch.

Rose groaned and shook her head. She might as well try to get some rest, even if she didn't sleep. Walking towards the uncomfortable bed, she jerked around when she heard the door creak open. Her eyes widened in shock.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed.

The Doctor didn't answer. She caught the dark look in his eyes as he swept towards her. He framed her face with his hands and dipped his head, capturing her lips in a hungry kiss. Her brain locked up, further protests lost to the glide of his tongue and flood of desire raging over the mental link he hastily created.

Rose allowed herself to be pushed backwards, her hands clutching at his matching red pajama shirt, until he had her pinned against the wall. He pressed his body flush against hers, his mouth still moving urgently over her own. His hips swiveled, his erection creating friction in just the right spot and making her moan as her body shuddered. One of his hands dropped to her waist, giving him the freedom to place hot kisses along her jaw and down her neck.

"You shouldn't be here," she breathed, even as she tilted her head to the side to give him better access.

He hummed against her skin and sent her images of _just_ what he wanted to do to her while he was here. Her knees buckled and she twisted the silk fabric in her hands.

"We could get caught," she gasped, trying to keep a voice of reason.

He moved to reclaim her lips, speaking between kisses. "Possibly." Kiss. "Maybe." Kiss. "Not likely."

His hand slipped under her shirt, sliding from her waist to her breast. As his thumb brushed over her nipple and his teeth pulled gently at her bottom lip, she decided his flimsy denial of getting into trouble was more than enough.

Rose let her walls down, allowing his arousal to fuel and mix freely with her own. She returned the pressure of his lips just as fiercely, her hands moving to thread into his soft hair. The Doctor growled, her subtle shift from somewhat reluctant receiver to fully engaged participant spurring him on.

His hands grasped at her pajama bottoms, tugging them down. His need to be inside her hit her with the force of a hurricane. In a frantic jumble of movement, their bottoms were yanked and kicked off as quickly as possible, mouths never parting.

 _Someone's in a hurry_ , she teased through the lust induced haze swirling in her mind. His only reply was to lift her up so she could wrap her legs around his narrow waist. When his cock brushed through her folds, wet and aching for his touch, she knew she had no room to talk. He smiled knowingly against her lips and steadied her hips with his hands.

To prevent either one from crying out too loudly, his length pushed into her achingly slow. Their lips stilled, touching but no longer moving as they held their breath and trembled at the overwhelming sensation of becoming one.

He had just buried himself completely within her when he pulled out and slammed back into her. Stars burst behind her eyelids and she gasped into his mouth. The Doctor continued thrusting into her, hot and quick. Rose’s body buzzed with electricity, his movements and the desire that flooded her mind were quickly pushing her to the brink. She could barely keep up with his frenzied kisses and felt like she was only along for the ride--one that she wanted to be on for the rest of her life.

Pressure built low in her belly, ready to burst. He pulled his head back, eyes open and needing to see her, needing to watch her come apart at his doing. She gripped his shoulders tightly, his shirt providing extra security, and tried to maintain eye contact. She was aware of her gasps and cries of pleasure becoming louder and louder but she couldn’t focus enough to keep quiet. She was _so_ close. Through their connection and the wild look in his dark eyes she knew he wouldn’t last much longer either.

His hands on her hips shifted her position in just the right way to cause her next shout to echo in the room. One hand shot up to cover her mouth, the fingers on the other still on her waist dug in to support her weight. Using their mental link to his advantage, so neither of them would be forced to move their hands, he sent her short bursts of thoughts, images, and feelings as if he were directly stimulating her clit. Her eyes rolled back as she swore against his hand. The next image coupled with a deep thrust sent her orgasm rushing through her like wildfire. Her toes curled and her back arched against the wall. She bit into his hand to keep herself from screaming his name.

Rose opened her eyes, pleasure still sparking along every nerve, to see the Doctor turn his head. He pressed his mouth over her hand fisted into his shirt to muffle his groan. He slumped against her, her body feeling like jelly, their foreheads touching and the hand on her mouth slipping to her chest as they shuddered in bliss.

Unwilling, or unable, to move they remained joined together.

"Do you need to leave?" Rose finally whispered.

He pulled back and tilted his head, calculating. He refocused on her and grinned. "Nope," he declared, popping the p. "Still have an hour and eleven minutes."

She smiled back. "What ever are we gonna do till then?"

"Oh, I have several ideas."

.....

"I should go now,” The Doctor lamented. “ _Before_ we get caught."

"Mhmm," Rose hummed, kissing his throat. He was lying on his back on the outer edge of the small bed with Rose half on top of him, their legs twined together.

He groaned and his hands on her bare back twitched. "That's...that's not helping."

"Oh, I don't know," she teased. "It's certainly helping _something_." She stroked playfully along his length, delighting in the way his eyes softly closed and his breath caught.

"Rose..."

"I know, I know." She rolled off him and pushed at his shoulder. "Get out of my bed."

He snorted but rolled clumsily off the edge, barely catching himself before he became an awkward pile of long limbs on the floor. Rose watched as he pulled his clothes back on, her eyes drinking in the subtle hint of toned muscle his skinny frame tried to hide.

Her heart skipped a beat as she was struck by how much she loved him and how ridiculously lucky she was that she would be spending her life with him. A thought occurred to her and she couldn't help but ask.

"Doctor?"

"Yes, Rose?" Fully dressed, he turned towards her.

"Why one in seven billion?"

His eyebrows knit together as his brain recalled their conversation from almost two days ago. His face inexplicably softened and he padded towards her. A wry smile played over his lips. "Because there's that many people on planet Earth...Well, roughly, rounding up. Anyway...out of all those people, all those billions of lives, you're the only one who could take in the time vortex and _not_ die."

She smiled up at him, not sure how to respond. It was an odd sort of compliment, but there was a sadness hidden underneath.

"Goodnight, Rose." He leaned over and kissed her softly.

"Night," she mumbled against his lips.

The Doctor stood up and walked to the exit. He cast one last look at her before opening the cell door. Then he was gone.


	20. Are You My Mummy?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta'd

"Good morning, Rose."

Her mind stumbled its way into semi consciousness, not quite recognizing the voice she heard. She wasn't tired anymore, not really. Her body was a bit worn out and she smiled as she recalled last night's activities. She stretched languidly, a pleasant ache deep in her muscles, then rolled to face the wall. Who ever it was, and whatever they wanted, could wait.

"I'm sure you're tired after your midnight _exercise_ , but if you want breakfast then you really need to get up now."

Rose's eyes flew open. As she stared at the wall she tried place the voice. Whoever it was had just implied that they knew _exactly_ what her and the Doctor had gotten up to during the night. Her heart thumped in her chest. The Doctor had said they wouldn't get caught. Or at least led her to believe they'd be fine. Now, because they couldn't keep their hands off each other they...wait, she knew that voice.

Rolling over to face the cell door, she breathed a sigh of relief. "Cornelius."

The elf smiled knowingly and tipped his head in her direction. The twinkle in his eyes alluded that he had more than just a suspicion and she was dying to ask how he knew. That was probably a better question for the Doctor. No point in embarrassing herself in front of Cornelius.

She cleared her throat. "So, do I eat here or...?"

"Oh, no. Not here. You'll eat in your other cell. You just have to be there before they bring it round. So we need to get you over there quickly.” His lips twitched as he unlocked her door but didn’t open it. “May I suggest putting your clothes back on first?"

Rose's cheeks burned. So much for not getting embarrassed.

.....

“How did solitary treat you last night?” the Doctor asked between bites after she had returned to her usual cell.

“Really, _really_ well.” He could hear the smile in Rose’s voice as she played along. “Wouldn’t mind staying there again if the opportunity came up.”

“I’m offended. Doesn’t sound like you missed me in the slightest.”

“I must be too used to your company because it felt like you were right there with me.”

“Maybe I’ll have that privilege another time. I do love to _come_ with you wherever you go, or whenever since we’re time travellers.” He mentally congratulated himself as he heard her choking on her breakfast.

The Doctor couldn't resist giving Rose a smug grin and waggling his eyebrows once they stepped into view of each other in the hall outside their cells. She flushed and turned away from him, following their escort to the briefing room. He chuckled and walked after her.

He wondered if she would eventually ask how he had managed to sneak into her temporary cell when she was supposed to be in solitary. Knowing her curiosity, it was only a matter of when, not if.

They arrived at the room the same time as the last remaining team. A trickle of relief ran through the Doctor. Soon this whole crazy adventure would be done and over with. He and Rose could free Jack and then go back to the TARDIS.

Jack.

What were they going to do with him? Would Rose want him to tag along like old times? Team TARDIS together again? He frowned, not particularly pleased with the idea but not seeing a valid argument against it either if that's what she wanted.

"What's the disgusted face for?" Rose asked from beside him.

"Oh, nothing.” He met her concerned gaze and forced a smile. “Just...a nasty after taste is all."

A small crease appeared in her forehead. "Breakfast not sitting well?"

"Something like that," he mumbled, looking away. He was spared any further questions when Santa entered the room.

"Good morning!" Santa crowed, his usual chipper self with his toothy grin. "Today's event is a little more...relaxing. Nice and easy. Each one of you will be taken to a different starting point within the old underground pipe system, a wonderful natural labyrinth. You must first locate your partner and then the exit. First team out, wins. Simple, eh?" His beady eyes swept the room before he rolled his shoulders. Nodding satisfactorily to himself, he headed to the exit. He swung back around to face them and held a finger up in the air. "Oh, one more thing. There's no time limit on today's challenge. Take all the time you need." His lips curled up in a smile that set off alarm bells in the Doctor's mind.

Rose shuddered. "I really don't like the way that sounds."

"You're not the only one."

.....

The pipes were surprisingly large. The Doctor had more than enough room to walk fully upright as he crept through the maze. It struck him that he wasn't sure _why_ he was sneaking around. Santa hadn't said they would find anything threatening as they searched for the exit.

Although, he hadn't said they wouldn't either. And he trusted the old crazy bastard as far as he could throw him, which wasn't very far.

The network appeared to be made of concrete, possibly used to carry water or some other liquid once upon a time. There was no evidence that they had been used recently for anything at all. A dark blue moss that was a bit too close to the color of the TARDIS covered the walls. He couldn’t wait to get out of here. Small rodent like creatures darted away from his approach, never holding still long enough for him to properly identify.

He sniffed the air. It was a bit stale, but he could sense a slight draft of fresh air. "I wonder if they keep this aerated," he mumbled to himself. He sniffed again. "Must do. There's fresh air and...something else. Something--"

He turned a corner and nearly crashed into Rose. They grabbed each other's forearms as they stumbled.

"Ah, Rose! Brilliant! Hang on, why didn't I hear you coming?"

"Probably because you were too busy talking to yourself. And rather loudly." They dropped their arms and she gave him a small smile.

"I was not..." He narrowed his eyes. Her smile had been forced, something wasn't right. "What is it?"

She chewed her bottom lip and shrugged. "Probably nothing. It's just..."

"Just what?" He cupped her cheek and created a temporary link so he could soothe her rattled nerves. "What did you see?"

Rose took a deep breath. “It was right after the door to the room they put me in opened and I started trying to find you. I heard footsteps, but they didn’t sound like yours--”

“You recognize my footsteps?”

“I’ve been skulking around less than ideal places with you for two years, yeah I do.”

He made a satisfied smirk, dropping his hand to interlace their fingers. “Sorry, you were saying?”

“I snuck up on whoever it was and ended up startling them. I think.”

“You think?”

“Well, I couldn’t see their face so it’s hard to say." She shifted on her feet and looked away. A tremor of unease shuddered through her. "Pretty sure they jumped though.”

“Rose...why couldn’t you see their face?”

“That’s the weird part. They were wearing a sort of um...like a gas mask.”

Tension seeped into his shoulders. “ _Like_ a gas mask or an actual, literal gas mask?”

Rose closed her eyes, recalling the memory. When she opened them there was a hint of fear. “It was definitely a gas mask. After they saw me they practically ran, disappeared through a hidden door in the wall. I tried, but couldn’t find a way to open it.”

“Well, it wasn’t one of the other competitors then.”

“But Doctor, why were they wearing the mask?” She glanced at their surroundings. “There’s something off here. And what is that smell?”

His stomach dropped and he inhaled deeply, pulling as much of the air into his body as possible to break down the chemical components. “We need to get out of here. _Now_.” He gripped her hand tighter and began to walk, following the faint trail of fresh air.

“What is it?” she asked while moving to keep up with his long strides.

“They’re pumping toxic gas into the pipes. Hydrogen cyanide to be precise. No wonder he said ‘take all the time you need’, that bloody bastard…”

Rose dug her feet into the ground and pulled him to a halt.

“What are you doing? We need to get out of here.” The Doctor knew he’d have longer than she would before he started feeling the effects of the toxin. With all the changes in her lately, it was highly likely she’d have longer than the average human. But he had no idea _how_ much longer that would be. He could make an educated guess, if he really wanted to. Rose’s life was not something he wanted to gamble with.

“How long do we have?”

He stopped himself from rambling about Time Lords and elves and humans and estimates based off all the factors, keeping his answer short and to the point. “Twenty minutes, give or take. Which is why we need to keep moving.” He tried to start walking and she yanked on his hand.

“Doctor, the other team. We can’t just leave them down here.”

He ran a hand down his face. She was right. The other accidents had been out of their hands. This time they had a small measure of control, enough to make a difference and at least save one of them.

“Right,” he agreed. “You keep following this tunnel until--”

She put a finger on his lips and arched an eyebrow. “Are you trying to split us up?”

He nodded slowly.

“Uh huh. And would this be to cover more ground or to get me to find the exit?” She pulled her finger away enough to let him speak.

“Well, you see--”

“Doctor,” she warned, placing her finger back over his mouth.

He slumped his shoulders, grabbing her wrist and moving her hand. “I know, I know. You’re not going anywhere.”

“You really need to get used to that.”

“I don’t like the thought of losing you,” he whispered hoarsely.

Rose’s face softened as she stood on tip toe to place a tender kiss on his lips. “I know.”

He let out a shaky breath. "Let's go." Hand in hand, they moved through the large pipes.

Ten minutes had passed without any sign of the other team. The Doctor was ready to cut his losses and get the hell out. It wouldn't be easy to convince Rose and he was far from happy with having to take that route, but in the next ten minutes she was likely to start feeling the effects of the toxic gas. Even he wouldn’t be able to breathe it in forever. Without knowing how far the exit actually was from their current position, he was ready to put their lives above the two unfortunate elves.

"Doctor!" she called from the opposite end of the tunnel they were currently in. "Over here."

He groaned. Of course she would find one of them in the direction _opposite_ of where they needed to go. He jogged to her position, turning the corner expectantly and seeing nothing. He looked at her with raised eyebrows.

"He went this way, come on." She ran down to the second tunnel on the left. He took off after her, rounding the first corner as she yelled, "Hello!"

The elf turned on his heel, eyes wide. When he took in the pair his face twisted into a sneer. "Had to rub the winning in before you find the exit do you? Just because you found each other first doesn't mean--"

"I'm sorry, hang on. That's not what we want at all," the Doctor began to explain.

"Then what do you want?" He crossed his arms, watching them suspiciously with silver eyes that were a stark contrast to his black hair. 

"We want to help," Rose said.

The elf laughed. "Help? And why would you want to do that?"

"Listen, I know you have no reason to trust us, but you need to. They are pumping formonitrile, or hydrogen cyanide which is a very toxic gas, into these tunnels. We have roughly nine minutes to get out before--er, before we all die." He cast a sideways glance at Rose, hoping she wouldn't question why he had included himself in the last sentence. He didn't want to waste time arguing species differences with an elf. Long enough exposure could potentially kill him. But then he would regenerate, effectively resetting the clock.

“Toxic gas? I don’t see anything.”

“Well, you wouldn’t. Hydrogen cyanide is invisible and--”

“I don’t smell anything either. Nothing but damp and...almond?”

“That would be the gas. But I assure you it’s completely lethal.”

“How do I know this isn’t some sort of trick?” He glared up at the Doctor.

Seven minutes and 13.2 seconds left. 

“Look you little--”

“What’s your name?” This time it was Rose who interrupted.

The elf blinked. “Harold.”

“And what’s your partner’s name?”

“Gloria.”

“That’s a lovely name. How long have you two been together?” Rose squeezed the Doctor’s hand, sensing his impatience, to assure him she had a plan. He ground his teeth together, watching Harold.

“Seventy-one years,” the elf said proudly.

 _You need to hurry,_ the Doctor urged Rose telepathically. _His breathing has become more rapid, he’s starting to feel the effects._

Rose gave Harold a warm genuine smile. “Do you really want to risk Gloria’s life on it?”

Harold swallowed and shuffled on his feet. “I suppose it wouldn’t be a shock to find out they were trying to kill us.”

“I’m delighted to hear it,” the Doctor said rapidly, clapping his hands together. “Now can we please try and find Gloria before somebody dies?”

“Is he always this rude?” Harold asked, looking at Rose.

“You’ve no idea,” she laughed as she took back the Doctor’s hand.

He huffed but wasted no more time arguing. With only five minutes left, he decided their best course of action was to head towards the exit. Not that he had consulted with Rose or Harold about this plan. He only felt remorse for from keeping it from Rose, something he kept carefully hidden in the back of his mind. They were running out of time and air. Hopefully it wasn’t too much farther. Hopefully Gloria turned up along the way. Hopefully he would be able to forgive himself if she didn’t.

Three minutes later, the Doctor and Rose jerked around at the sound of Harold stumbling. He was leaning against the wall, one hand on his head and the other on his stomach. Rose rushed to his side.

“I feel like I’m going to be sick,” Harold mumbled.

“It’s the poison,” the Doctor stated, walking over. “Can you walk?”

Harold nodded, allowing them to help him to his feet so they could continue.

 _Do you think he’ll make it?_ , Rose asked as they walked just ahead, holding tight to the Doctor’s hand.

_Depends on how much longer it takes to find the exit._

_Shouldn’t we almost be there?_

_Well, I...don’t really know._

_That’s the direction we’ve been heading, yeah?_

He jerked his head to look at her, the implication that she had been aware he hadn’t been actively trying to find Gloria wasn’t lost on him. _You knew?_

 _It’s alright,_ she told him, sensing his impending apology. _We can’t always save everyone. I would have done the same._

Coming around the next corner, with barely two minutes to spare, they found her. Gloria was slumped on the floor with her head on her knees, her hands clutching her auburn hair. She was shaking and breathing rapidly.

“We’ve got to get her out of here,” the Doctor said as Harold rushed to her, nearly tripping over himself.

"Gloria," Harold murmured, stroking her hair. Her head lifted unsteadily and her eyes were unfocused, taking longer than they should have to recognize her partner's face. She sobbed and clutched at him, mumbling his name over and over into his shoulder. Harold looked up at Rose and the Doctor. "She won't be able to walk like this. But I--"

"Let me," the Doctor offered, crouching in front of them. He knew Harold would want to carry her, but in his current condition there was no way he would be able to. The elf nodded, unspoken thanks shining in his eyes.

"Gloria, dear," Harold said, gently prying her from his chest. "This is the Doctor, he's going to help and carry you out."

Looking at Harold in confusion, Gloria held onto him as long as possible while the Doctor slowly lifted her into his arms. Rose helped Harold to his feet and stepped away. Her arms shot out to catch him as he collapsed.

Unable to do anything with Gloria in his arms, the Doctor watched helplessly. Panic was clawing up his throat. The two elves were verging on death, with the onset of the symptoms they only had a precious minute ( _maybe_ two) before it would be too late for them. Rose was bound to feel the effects at any minute. They had to get out of here.

"Just go," Harold choked out, trying to wave Rose off.

"Don't be daft," Rose chided. "Hold on to me." Securing his arm around her waist, she wrapped her own arm around his shoulders. After her curt nod, the Doctor turned around and began trying to find the exit.

Every cell in his body was screaming to run, to move as fast as he could to get the hell out. However, Rose and Harold wouldn’t be able to move that quickly. He gripped Gloria tighter, walking briskly, focusing on just putting one foot in front of the other.

Turning a corner, he spotted a door at the end of the corridor. The small opening in the top indicated he had followed the trail correctly. It just better be the correct exit or so help him, he would strangle Santa with his bare hands.

He looked back at Rose. Anger flared within as he caught the tense set of her jaw, the way she tried to appear fine when she wasn’t.

"The exit's just ahead," he called to her over his shoulder, forcing himself to continue moving. She only nodded in response.

The Doctor caught a glimpse of snow through the opening set high in the door when they reached it. Using all their body weight, the small group pushed on the door. As it gave way, they tumbled into the outdoors in one big heap. He heard Rose gasp as the cold air crashed into them.

An official rushed over, unsure what to do with the only two blankets he had with him. “Victor, get over here. And find two more blankets!”

“Give those two to the elves,” the Doctor instructed as he rolled to the side, in no hurry to stand. He breathed in the cool, bitter air and let the relief rush through him. For a frightening moment he had thought they were goners.

_Rose._

He sat up and scrambled over to her as the official bundled up Harold and Gloria. She was lying on her back in the snow, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

"Are you alright?" He brushed hair out of her face then cupped her cheek.

Rose's eyes swept to him and she smiled brightly. "I am now."

“Not sure why you wanted two more blankets, but here they are," Victor grumbled. The Doctor glanced up to catch him staring with a dumbfounded expression. “Why are there four of them?”

“It’s a tie," the other official stated, looking at Victor with a frown. "What do we do when there’s a tie?”


	21. Every Conversation With You Just Goes Mental

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thank you so much for being patient. Things are still a bit crazy (three kids 4 and under...it's gonna happen). And I just started school this past Monday, but I think overall it will help me get into a routine again. Anyway, nearing the end here...enjoy! Unbeta'd, all mistakes are mine.

As it turned out, a tie was apparently unheard of. The events were designed to tear people apart, both literally and figuratively, not bring them together.

"What do you figure we'll have to do tomorrow?" Rose asked the Doctor later that night from within her cell.

"No idea. They seemed completely baffled by the tie.” She could easily picture him frowning and shrugging his shoulders as he spoke.

“Yeah, but..." She chewed her bottom lip, pausing and making sure she had counted correctly. "There was gonna be another event anyway, right?”

“What do you mean?”

“Today was only eleven, there are twelve days of Christmas.”

“Oh, good catch.” The Doctor was silent for a moment. Rose guessed he was thinking of all the other distractions that had caused him to not remember that one little detail. Namely Bad Wolf. “Honestly, I find it hard to believe that there has _never_ been a tie. Statistically impossible.”

“Maybe they’ve just never had a tie at the end?”

“I’m surprised they’ve ever had any winners," he grumbled.

Rose had to agree. She chewed the inside of her cheek, reprimanding herself for the bad habit but continuing anyway. They had avoided talking about Bad Wolf since the sword dance. Granted they’d been a little preoccupied since then. She shook her head and sat down on her mattress. Best just to leave it alone till this was all over with.

…..

“Well, since you all decided to be a bunch of goody goodies, we’ve had to change the event." Santa frowned at the two teams as they stood in the briefing room the following morning for what was hopefully the last time. "Usually today’s challenge would be for the winning team to prove their worth. Lucky for you, an unfortunate mishap occurred during the night.”

Rose doubted the mishap was accidental.

“Two of my reindeer got out and ran off into Faunyx Forest. I need them both back. So, the first team to successfully retrieve one of the reindeer will be the winners. However, you must recover _both_ reindeer to officially win. You have twelve hours. A series of four drum beats will be played loud enough for you to hear on the hour, every hour. Barnaby will provide additional instructions."

Rose glanced at Harold and Gloria as Santa marched out of the room without another word. The two elves looked worried and distressed. When she looked over at the Doctor, he was bouncing on the balls of his feet, antsy and ready to go.

“Three things,” Barnaby began, walking to the front of the room. “You will be taken there by sleigh, each team will have their own. For this event you may wear whatever you choose. You have twenty minutes until the sleighs depart. If you are not on the sleigh within the designated time, your team will be assumed to have forfeited. Dismissed.”

Barnaby had barely taken one step before the Doctor had miraculously appeared in his personal space. Rose blinked then fought back a giggle at his burst of movement.

“Barnaby, my dear fellow.” The Doctor oozed charm, a wide smile on his face.

“What do you want?” Barnaby snapped, not buying into it.

The Doctor sniffed. “No need to be rude. Do you still have hard feelings about--”

“If you don’t get to the point, I’m done listening.”

“Where are my clothes?”

“Pardon?”

“My clothes. I’m sorry, _our_ clothes.” He motioned between himself and Rose with one hand. “The ones we were wearing when we were arrested. We would very much like to have them back...and wear them.”

“I don’t know. I’m sure they are somewhere back at the Gingerbread House.”

“Brilliant! Come on, Rose. Let’s go find Cornelius.”

Barnaby narrowed his eyes at the mention of the other elf’s name. Before he could say anything else, Rose and the Doctor were heading out the door.

They ran all the way back to the Gingerbread House, hand in hand. What would they do to them for holding hands? Arrest them? Punish them? Too late for that. They did release each other once they were inside, the Doctor striding ahead calling Cornelius’ name down the halls.

The elf popped his head out from around the next corner. “Yes?”

“Ah, there you are!” the Doctor crowed, an extra bounce in his step as he walked to where Cornelius was standing. “Would you happen to know where our clothes are located? Our _proper_ clothes?”

“Perhaps,” Cornelius replied after a moment.

“Ah, well, would you be a good lad and retrieve them for us? Or point us in the right direction?”

“I’ll have to get them. I trust you two can find your way to your cells on your own? _Without_ incident?”

“On my honour,” the Doctor replied solemnly.

Rose watched the exchange in silence. Just _what_ had the two of them talked about the night the Doctor had spent in solitary?

Cornelius nodded then turned to head back in the direction he had come from while Rose and the Doctor made their way back to their cells. They didn’t have to wait long before Cornelius appeared with their clothes in hand.

“Oh, come here you beautiful thing,” the Doctor purred as he took his suit and coat from the elf, his eyes drinking in the brown material.

Rose arched her eyebrow when he nuzzled into the neatly folded pile of his clothes. “Do you two need a moment?”

“No. But we’re about to get a room,” he quipped, looking up at her and waggling his eyebrows.

She snorted and took her own clothes from Cornelius.

“I suggest you both get to your rooms and change before you miss your ride. You can just leave your current attire for one of the housekeeping elves to take care of while you’re gone.”

“Oh, um…” the Doctor looked quickly up and down the hall. “Would it actually be possible for me to, er, keep it?”

“What do you want to keep it for?” Rose asked, taken aback by his odd request.

“To burn it.”

“Ah.” She should have known he hadn’t been joking around when he’d mentioned burning the outfit before.

Cornelius shrugged. “I don’t see why not. Will you need...a bag or--”

“No, no, no.” The Doctor shook his head, the bell on his hat jingling lightly. “That won’t be necessary. Leave it to me.”

“I’ll leave you to it then. And Doctor, don’t forget our bargain.”

“I haven’t.” He stared intently at the elf, all trace of excitement instantly replaced by stern lines and a hardened expression. Rose crossed her arms, hugging her clothes to her chest, and stared hard at the Doctor as Cornelius walked off. The Doctor sighed. “I know, I still owe you an explanation for...that. As well as some other things, but later. We need to get moving.”

She narrowed her eyes. “You’re lucky I trust you."

“I know.”

.....

The Doctor felt much more like himself once he had donned the pinstriped suit. He let out a sigh of relief as he made a final adjustment to his tie. He frowned, looking around the room and wishing there had been a mirror. Not that he was vain per se; he did, however, did take a certain amount of pride in his appearance. Mostly for Rose's benefit. He shrugged, slipping his arms into his coat and flipping the garment up over his shoulders with a well timed flick of the wrists. He exited his cell, hands in his pockets searching for... _ha_ , there's the sonic.

Smiling at Rose, dressed back in her tight fitted jeans and pink blouse with just a hint of purple undertones, as she met him in the hallway, he felt his stomach tighten when her gaze swept over him critically and her arms slowed going into the sleeves of her grey coat.

"Er, ready?" He stammered, running a hand self consciously through his hair.

"Hmm?" She blinked at him, coming out of whatever stupor had overcome her. "Yeah, yeah."

"You alright?"

"Just...been awhile since I've seen you in that...and I really want to force you back out of it."

A slow grin curved his lips and the knot in his stomach released, spreading a pleasant tingle through his body. "All in good time, love."

Rose sighed dramatically. "Guess we better get going then."

They were almost out the door of the Gingerbread House when the Doctor realized he had forgotten something. His costume. He really, truly, _desperately_ wanted to have the joy of burning it to ashes. And then burning the ashes. Something normally not possible, but that’s what the TARDIS was for.

"You go on," he said, grabbing Rose's elbow and inclining his head in the direction of the arena as she turned to look at him. "I forgot something, I'll be back in a tick."

"What could you possibly have forgotten?"

"The elf attire."

"Oh for--let it go, Doctor."

"I shall do no such thing. I'll be back before you can reach that part in the song."

Rose looked at him in confusion.

"Right, hasn't happened in your time yet. It's this lovely cartoon about two sisters and one of them is born with ice powers and--nevermind. We'll watch it when we get back to the TARDIS. Point is, I won't even be gone long enough for you to miss me."

"Well, get to it then." She shoved at him playfully, shaking her head as she walked down the steps of the building.

The Doctor darted back inside and tore through the (thankfully) empty halls, his coat billowing behind him. He had really missed that affect, the jingling of a bell on the tip of a hat was just not the same.

He skidded into his cell and snatched the pile of Christmas colors off the bed where he had left it and shoved it into one of his pockets. Making all his pockets bigger on the inside had truly been one of his more impressive ideas. He swept his eyes over the room one last time, making sure he hadn’t forgotten anything else. The desk drew his gaze and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He drew a deep breath, feelings of guilt gnawing at his insides.

The necklace.

Nearing the desk, he pulled open the only drawer. The necklace with the charm Rose had made for him lay facing up, just where he had left it. The wolf’s golden eyes stared up at him, a predatory gleam permanently created in its features. As terrible as he would have felt for leaving it here and forgetting about it, he couldn’t shake the feeling of unease it gave him.

He clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes then snatched the item out of the drawer and shoved it in his pocket. He turned on his heel and headed for the door, chastising himself for being so ridiculous. He was getting superstitious in his old age.

It was just a necklace.

As he walked past Rose's open cell door, his eyes caught sight of her discarded outfit splashed all over the room in typical Rose Tyler fashion, the tunic that had flared into a skirt barely covering her bum hanging over the back of the chair.

An idea occurred to him. Well, more of an expansion of an already existing idea than a brand new idea. More of a desire than an idea really. No matter. That was all trivial details, boiling down to the only logical conclusion.

He ducked into Rose's cell, hurriedly snatching up all the pieces to her costume that were strewn about the room. Using her bed, he smoothed out the clothes then folded them all in one bundle so as to avoid wrinkles. With something to look forward to later, he slipped her outfit into his pocket next to his own and jogged out of the room to meet up with her in the briefing room.

.....

The Doctor found Rose and the other two contestants waiting outside the entrance to the briefing room. He gave Rose an I-told-you-so grin, just as Barnaby pushed through the door.

“Ah, I see you are all here,” Barnaby said, eyeballing the group. “I have no further instructions. The twelve hours will begin once the sleighs arrive at the forest.” Without another word, he headed away from the contestants.

“Excuse me, sir!” Harold called after him.

Barnaby stopped then slowly turned on his heel, irritation written all over his face. “What is it now?”

“Aren’t you...or-or someone else going to supervise the event?”

“No need.”

Before walking off, Barnaby gave them a sly smile that made the Doctor want to punch him the face. Which was saying a lot, actually. Considering his distaste for violence. Maybe there was something in the air on this planet that made his aggression level higher. Or maybe it was just the sheer number of sadistic idiots running rampant in the falsely cheerful streets.

Probably the latter.

The teams glanced nervously between themselves. Jingling filled the air and they all turned in unison as two sleighs pulled up, golden bells on the harnesses of the twin reindeer teams.

"Suppose they know where to go?" Rose asked, noticing the lack of drivers.

The Doctor shoved his hands into his trouser pockets and shrugged. "I certainly hope so. This forest could be on the other side of the bloody planet for all I know.

"We know the way," Harold offered.

Turning, the Doctor arched a skeptical eyebrow at the other man. Last time they met, Harold hadn’t exactly been friendly.

"I know we started on the wrong foot, but making sure you get to the right place is the least we could do after..." He trailed off, his eyes sliding over to Gloria. She smiled at Harold and the Doctor recognized the same warmth and devotion in her eyes that Rose's gaze always held for him.

"Thanks," Rose supplied. "We'll just use the one in the rear then."

She headed for their transportation, but the Doctor made no move to follow. They were so close to the end of this madness, and while he didn't harbor any hard feelings or ill wishes towards the other team, he wanted something to be perfectly clear.

"This doesn't mean that we won't be giving our all to win once we get there," the Doctor said sternly.

"I wouldn't expect any less," Harold replied with a light smile.

The Doctor grinned in return and offered his hand. "Good luck out there."

"You as well," the elf replied taking the offering and shaking his hand firmly.

With a curt nod of understanding, the Doctor walked to his rightful place, beside Rose.

.....

"What do you want to ask me?" The Doctor asked lightly, looking down at Rose. She was currently laying with her head in his lap, her body curled up to fit on the seat beside him. Her soft hair was fanned out over his thighs and he had been brushing a hand idly through the strands as they talked. His other hand was otherwise occupied, clasped between hers and resting on her stomach.

"What do you mean?" She asked blankly.

"We may not have a full telepathic bond, Rose, but I can tell there's something you've been dying to ask. I wouldn't even need the temporary physical link to be able to tell there's a question burning on the tip of your tongue."

"I wouldn't say _burning_. Maybe more like...simmering."

The Doctor snorted. "Semantics. That's all you're arguing."

"Learnt from the best," she replied with a tongue touched grin. "Something was bound to rub off on me."

The unintended double entendre to her words made his hand in her hair falter, stopping its rhythmic motion and tightening reflexively around the strands. He felt a burst of anticipation from Rose skitter across their bond, realizing too late just how loudly he was subconsciously broadcasting his preferred method of _rubbing off_ on her.

The Doctor cleared his throat and shook his head. "You were saying...?"

She smiled and pulled his hand from her stomach up to her lips, brushing a light kiss over his knuckles, a subtle promise of fulfilling his desire at a later time dancing in her eyes.

"My question," she began, resettling their joined hands on her abdomen. "How did you manage to sneak _out_ of your cell, into _solitary_ , and then _back_ without getting caught?"

He sniffed. "Are you doubting my ability to creep in the shadows and not attract attention?"

"You're good, Doctor. But you're not _that_ good. Besides, your sonic and anything else that might have helped was left in your coat. Which you didn't get back till now. So..."

"I'm not sure if I should be offended that you're questioning my innate talent for remaining quiet and otherwise undetected or flattered that you know me so well."

Rose rolled her eyes.

"If you must know, which...you must, actually. Because I'm going to need your help with the trade off. Not that I couldn't handle it by myself. But you've made it abundantly clear that you're all in--"

"Oh, he finally notices."

"So I might as well make use of you,” he continued, only acknowledging her comment with a slight twitch of his lips. He knew she had a point, but he wasn’t willing to admit it just yet. “And your jeopardy friendly talents. I suppose it doesn't hurt that I would rather have your help in the first place. Not sure how I'm going to pull it off, now that I think about it." He paused a moment to contemplate, then shook his head and refocused, the problem still running on a loop in the back of his mind. "Anyway, the point is, Cornelius helped me. He let me out, gave me the key to solitary, and locked me back in my own cell at a predetermined time."

"No wonder he seemed so...chuffed."

"He's a sly fellow, that one."

Rose smiled. "What was the trade off?"

"Ah, that.” The Doctor fought his normal tendency to tug on his ear, bouncing his thumb on her hand instead. “Yes. Well, I may or may not have agreed to er, putting a permanent stop to the Reindeer Games."

"How?" A crease appeared in her forehead as she looked up at him.

"Would you hate me if I erased one of your childhood heroes from existence?"

"Santa was never a _hero_. Just a nice bloke who occasionally brought presents.” Rose shrugged. “And this Santa...is not the same person. So I wouldn't hate you at all."

“I’d be doing whatever towns he does visit a favor really.”

“Exactly. But how were you planning on doing it?”

“Not entirely sure, to be honest. As much as I can’t stand the man, I don’t want to kill him if I don’t have to. There are a few plans brewing in my superior brain of course, but nothing concrete.”

“Well…” She trailed off, nervously wiggling her fingers still wrapped around his hand. He sensed the increase in uncertainty over their temporary telepathic link.

“Suggestion?” he prodded, not sure why she would be hesitant to offer her opinion. His reluctance to keep her around for obviously dangerous encounters had nothing to do with him finding her incapable of coming up with a plan. On the contrary, Rose was much more capable in that department than he was. You had to actually think about how to handle a situation _before_ diving in to call it a plan. Not exactly his forte.

“We could always do what we do best?” she suggested timidly.

“I fail to see how shagging is going to take down Santa and his regime of toy soldiers, but go on.” He smirked as she giggled, his flippant comment having the desired effect of relieving some of her tension.

“Make that second best?” She gave him a tongue touched smile, looking entirely too adorable.

“Are we going to talk him to death with our witty banter?” The Doctor grinned widely and leaned forward, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead. “He’d probably explode if we got all sappy and gooey for a few hours. But...please, don’t--don’t make me do that. I love you but there are only so many times I can call you smoochy-poo without wanting to vomit.”

“Smoochy-poo?” 

“Your _idea_ , Miss Tyler,” he pressed, getting the conversation back on track.

“Wing it.”

“You want us to go into this without formulating _any_ sort of plan?”

“Wouldn’t be the first time. Besides, how often do our _plans_ actually work in the way they were meant to.”

“Fair point. I like it.” The Doctor looked up to their surroundings for the first time in minutes. He’d been so enthralled by Rose, simply being able to be near her and have a conversation that didn’t feel like they were being chaperoned by an overprotective mother had been all too easy to get lost in. He blinked, almost painfully. There was a large stand of trees rapidly approaching, a forest that seemed to stretch out for miles in every direction.

The trees themselves were on the larger side, twice the size of the average tree on Earth that Rose would be familiar with. They resembled fir trees, but with jet black leaves that clashed against the clean, sparkling snow. Somehow he got the feeling that they weren’t going to be following butterflies to find the lost reindeer.

“I certainly hope you didn’t have any plans for this part of the adventure. I think we’ll be better off going into this one blind as well.”

She sat up, releasing his hand and twisting to see what had caught his attention. “That doesn’t look very Christmasy,” she muttered, scooting closer to his side.

“I highly doubt we’ll be finding any sort of cheer or good will toward men in there,” he replied, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

The rest of the ride was spent in silence. The Doctor tried to formulate some sort of plan by _not_ formulating a plan. His fingers itched to touch Rose’s skin. Not for any sort of erotic reason (not that he was opposed, but time and place). He wanted to know how she was feeling without having to ask. It felt like it had been ages since they were able to deal with something as a proper team; no rules or ridiculous restrictions. He knew that wasn’t entirely true, but he found himself second guessing how they would work together as the sleigh came to a stop.

He climbed out first, thinking it was probably their lack of joking and laughing that was making him doubtful. That and the extra baggage of Bad Wolf weighing down his thoughts. Rose hopped down onto the snow covered ground then came to stand beside him. The other team stood a few paces away, having just gotten out of their own sleigh. They exchanged quiet nods before gazing into the dark forest, waiting for the signal that they could begin their search.

Rose bumped his shoulder to get his attention. She grinned up at him and took his hand. Adrenaline and excitement flooded through him, immediately igniting his own love for adventure and the unknown. He hated putting her in danger, and would never forgive himself if anything ever did happen to her, but this… _this_ was what they lived for. Beating impossible odds in the name of the greater good, side by side and hand in hand.

How could he ever doubt their ability as a team? They were made for each other. They were made for this.

The Doctor grinned back, a small giggle catching in his throat, and squeezed her hand.

A low pounding echoed from somewhere within the trees, reverberating in his chest. This was what they’d been waiting for. Without even glancing at the other team, Rose and the Doctor dashed towards the forest, the sound of their laughter drowning out the four drum beats pulsating in the air.


End file.
